2 shops Vintage St Thérèse Statues, Religious Icon, French Catholic Figurine, Vintage Saint Theresa Chalk Sculpture, Two St Therese Statues

Welcome to Marchepuces.

Two statues of St Therese.

The figurines were bought from the executor of a long ago retired French Army officer whose very elderly granddaughter told me that her Bon Papa's religious art collection, of which these ere two of many of his items that I was buying, had begun on his return from the battlefields of WW1 during which he'd written letters home depicting landscapes that had been destroyed, burnt-out hamlets and wrecked churches, the latter affecting him most and he was subsequently no exception to the shops belief that wartime trauma often makes people turn to God.

The taller statue is classically detailed, created in baked bisque, and hand painted; a chalkware statue of St Therese of Lisieux portrayed with her arms full of roses. Dating from the early 1900's the figurine has had no previous restoration, nor shows significant chips or cracks, bearing a majestic timeworn patina, an ethereal grandeur commensurate with nearly a century of home altar service. The white, smaller St Therese statue possesses a charming simplicity.

Saint Therese was born January 2nd, 1873 and in 1888 she became a nun, joining her two sisters in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy, France. She died of TB at the age of twenty four. Patron Saint of both Missionaries and Florists.

Such statues were often given as gifts in France intended to be a "Guardian Angel" for a new born child, St Therese being symbolic of security and peace. An iconic figurine sculpted holding flowers which she is affectionately known for distributing to people she met.

A duo of wonderful old iconic statues, great pieces of religious art.

the taller measures 17"/43cm high and weighs 2.7 kg
the smaller is 11"/29cm high and weighs 450g

This item has to be shipped at the French La Poste 5kg parcel rate and so there is space for a few more little choices from Marchepuces to be shipped for free!!
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