Death of Saint Francis XavierFrom the church of Sainte-Rose, Île Jésus (now Laval)

Des Écores Workshop

1806

93.5 x 74.8 cm

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

A man in a black robe lies on his side, holding a rosary. Two cherubic faces with wings appear in the upper left, emerging from clouds. The scene is framed by wooden beams. Composed of elements sculpted separately, then nailed or glued onto an assemblage of pieces of wood and finally painted, this relief illustrates new methods of sculptural production. The scene is directly inspired by a small engraved holy card, which is in turn a schematic version of a more elaborate print by a French artist, François de Poilly. It represents the death of the Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier (1506-1552), laid low by fever and alone on the island of Sancian, off the coast of China, where he had gone to preach the Gospel. Devotion to Saint Francis Xavier (canonized in 1622) recalls the Jesuits’ importance in the colon