The Saint Elisabeth Altarpiece
- Style
- Baroque
- Date
- 1700
- Material and technique
- Marble
- Location
- The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Wroclaw
- Description
- In the sculptural depiction of Saint Elizabeth, Ferrata has presented a synthesis of her life. The figure in a prayerful pose is floating on a cloud amidst a host of angels. The saint's right hand is raised towards heaven in a supplicatory gesture, while her left hand points to earth. Her veiled head is adorned with a crown, and a royal cloak flows down from her shoulders, revealing a Franciscan habit girded with a cord. Three angels raise the saint's attributes: a scepter and mitre - signs of princely dignity, bread and a purse with money - a symbol of merciful love, and crowns on a book - the saint's oldest attribute. It was the book of the Gospels that became the rule of life and led Elizabeth to perfection in her maiden, married and widowed state, symbolised by the three crowns.
