St. Anthony of Padua
with the Infant Jesus
San Antonio de Padua

The Man
(1195 - 1231)

St. Anthony of Padua  was born in Lisbon, Portugal as Ferdinand de Buhoes, the son of a knight in the court of King Alphonso of Portugal.  He studied as a youth under the priests of the Lisbon Cathedral.  He joined the Canons Regular of St. Augustine at 15.  In 1212 he transferred to the priory at Coimbra.  He was ordained in 1219 or 1220.  In 1221 he transferred to the Franciscans after seeing the bodies of five Franciscan martyrs who were killed in Morocco. He took the name of Anthony.  He is the most celebrated of the followers of St. Francis of Assisi.  St. Anthony was one of the great preachers of all time.  He is frequently depicted holding baby Jesus because the infant is said to have appeared when Anthony prayed.  He died at 36.  He was canonized in 1232.  He is the patron saint of travelers, the poor, and those who have lost or misplaced anything.

This statue was constructed in Mexico sometime between 1790 and 1840.  It is made of a square, wooden base with a pieced top.  The feet join the two front planks forming the sides; the back is a third vertical, carved plank.  The statue has a two-section head with glass eyes.  The mouth is open, showing his teeth.  The cloth appears under the gesso at the shoulder and on vertical joints.  The well carved robe is thinly covered with gesso and then painted.

The habit is brown, with fine horizontal black lines and red roses with black and white leaves.  The statue has a white cord at the waist with the three knots which represent the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.  The swaddling cloth on the infant Jesus is light blue.