Holy Martyr
Master of the Main Church of Alhadas (attrib.), Workshop in Coimbra (c. 1450-60)
Limestone with traces of polychrome
Inv. 122
The martyr’s palm frond, which she holds in her right hand, allows us to recognise this sculpture as a holy martyr. It has traditionally been identified as Saint Lucy or Lucia and is similar to an image kept in the Main Church of Alhadas (Figueira da Foz), which is attributed to a workshop in Coimbra from the mid-15th century. Her identity is not certain, as she has lost the attribute she held in the other hand (if it is Saint Lucy, two eyes on a plate, a symbol of her martyrdom), but there is no doubt that she is a holy virgin, as revealed by her hair, long and loose and crowned by flowers. She wears a smooth tunic that allows a glimpse of her shoes and over this a cloak structured in superimposed folds on which traces of polychrome remain.