Holy Martyrs Dressed in Gold and Rich Polychromy: Two Novohispanic Sculptures from the XVIII Century in the Franz Mayer Museum Collection in Mexico

The Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City is home to a pair of sculptures representing holy martyrs that date back to the 18th century. The works stand out due to their formal and ornamental characteristics, and the uniqueness of the iconography depicted in one of them. This led to the interest in studying these pieces from two different approaches: first, the quality of the polychromy and the ornamental motifs present in saint's apparel, and the second, the identification of one of them as the martyr Lucia de Siracusa. The aim of this study is to draw attention to this pair of carvings as examples of polychrome sculpture in New Spain, taking into account their iconography and the display of multiple resources used by the anonymous sculptor in the correct representation of rich fabrics and textiles.