Saint Vincent 1753

Saint Vincent was created in the mid-18th century by Johann Georg Pinzel, a sculptor active in what is now Ukraine. Pinzel worked in a late Baroque style that expressed the religious fervor of the Counter-Reformation. You'll notice Saint Vincent's dramatic gesture and emotional expression. Figures like this one were often commissioned by religious orders to adorn churches in Eastern Europe, which at this time were part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Aristocratic families supported the Church's activities. As patrons, they would donate funds towards the embellishment of churches as acts of piety. Pinzel’s sculptures were thus products of religious institutions and social hierarchies. He produced imagery that upheld existing beliefs and customs. But his expressive style also reflects the unique regional variations of Baroque art, far from the centers of Italy or France. To study Pinzel further, we can look at surviving church records, aristocratic family papers, and art historical scholarship that traces the development of Baroque sculpture across Europe. These resources give us a deeper understanding of the artwork.