Female saint

This is 15th century English alabaster figure of a female saint. This figure forms a pair with St. Christopher figure and may have been a terminal figure on an altarpiece. The description of the figure as St. Etheldreda is unlikely in view of the palm in her left hand, for she was not martyred, nor does the figure wear a crown, though Etheldreda was a royal princess.

There are two sorts of alabaster. Calcite alabaster is very hard and was used in ancient times. This object is made of gypsum alabaster which is a fine-grained, soft and smooth stone. Although at first glance it looks a little like marble, which it was intended to imitate, it was much easier to carve due to its softness, and alabaster objects were therefore significantly cheaper to produce. It probably originated in the large deposits found in Britain, in the Midlands, which were extensively worked from the 14th century.