St. Francis Relief Found at a Thrift Store

I went in looking for a tall black vase. I left without one. 

The panel was on a shelf by itself, about the size of a hardcover book. What I noticed first was the color: a dark, rubbed gold around a pale carved scene. Up close, it looked old in a specific way, the way things get from handling. It didn't read as neglect, and it didn't read as faked. Something told me to pay attention, so I started looking it up before I reached the car. 

Four round nubs sit at the corners of the frame, and I still don't know whether something was once fixed to them or whether they were always there. The frame is built from several pieces, its stamped pattern of rosettes and interlace gilded and worn through to dark wood at the high points. On the back is a plain board with a long split and a scatter of worm holes. 

My first guess was resin. Three things changed my mind. The white surface stayed cool in my hand. Light seemed to sink slightly into the edges of the carving. And the wear was uneven, with the gilding rubbed away where a hand would reach first. None of it is proof, but it was enough to keep going. 

The scene, I learned, is St. Francis receiving the stigmata: Francis kneeling with his hands raised, a winged crucifix in the clouds, a companion asleep in the corner, a small book on the ground. My research pointed to a European devotional relief, with guesses about its age that I'll leave to the specialist. Knowing that changed how I carry it and where I keep it. 

It could be something genuine. It could be an interesting old project by someone with patience and a good eye. It goes to a specialist next, and I'll let you know what comes back. 

What it confirmed is quieter. After enough antique stores and enough late-night research, you start to notice when something on a shelf is worth a closer look. This one was. 

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More from this world: The Dark Study, and more Dark Study stories in the Journal.

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