Saint Christopher

This particular figure has, at his feet, a diminutive kneeling figure of a monk, which is likely to represent the donor. The scroll unwinding above him would originally have shown his prayer to the saint. The inclusion of this donor figure would support the theory that the sculpture was an individual commission, rather than bought off the shelf, as was usual for alabaster sculptures.

The plinth now associated with the figure, with its carved tracery and blank shield, is also of interest, although it was not an original part of the object. It can be related to French and particularly Spanish bases of 14th- and 15th-century date, and was probably added to the figure shortly before its sale in 1921.

The alabaster was donated to the V&A by friends of Cecil Duncan Jones (1883-1918) in his memory after his untimely death, following a lengthy period of internment during World War I, firstly in Ruhleben, and then in Holland.