A male Saint

This statuette representing a male saint is made of painted hardwood and ivory. Although it has not been possible to analyse the wood, it is a hardwood, probably non-European. The combination of ivory and hardwood suggest that this piece is colonial. The unusual raised decoration on the wood confirms this, as do the facial features, which are slightly stylized, and reminiscent of Indo-Portuguese ivories from Goa. The identity of the saint is impossible to establish. It could have been an individual figure, or more likely from a group of Christ and the Twelve Apostles.