Saint Benedict of Palermo

between 1770 and 1780

Juan Pascual de Mena Spanish, 1707-1784

On View

European, Level 2, South Wing

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About the Artwork

Saint Benedict of Palermo (1526-1589) was the first Christian saint of sub-Saharan African descent to be recognized in modern times. In this nearly life-size depiction, the sculptor Juan Pascual de Mena used Benedict's expansive gesture and intense expression, his gaze fixed on the crucifix in his hand, to imbue the work with presence and solemnity, evoking the saint's role as an intercessor for an increasingly community of faithful. Born Benedetto Manasseri in Sicily to enslaved Christian converts, Benedict joined the Franciscan monastic order as a young man. He earned a reputation for his humility, wise leadership, and miraculous healing abilities. Although not officially elevated to sainthood until 1807, Benedict achieved international popularity in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as Catholicism spread to Africa and the Americas. Many converts, both enslaved and free, found comfort in his story and image. Benedict's African heritage and dark skin offered an alternative role model to the Church's predominantly white, European saints.

Title Saint Benedict of Palermo

Artwork Date between 1770 and 1780

Artist Juan Pascual de Mena

Life Dates 1707-1784

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Spanish

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Coniferous wood, oil, gold, glass, cord

Dimensions Overall: 68 7/8 × 39 3/8 × 19 11/16 inches (175 × 100 × 50 cm)

Classification Sculpture

Department European Sculpture and Dec Arts

Credit Museum Purchase, Jill Ford Murray Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2017.21

Markings

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Provenance

(Colnaghi, London, England)

2017-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:

Provenance page

Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

attributed to Juan Pascual de Mena, Saint Benedict of Palermo, between 1770 and 1780, coniferous wood, oil, gold, glass, cord. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Jill Ford Murray Fund, 2017.21.