This stone sculpture was found broken into pieces near Arras, in the region of Artois, in the north of France near modern Belgium (formerly Flanders). Even if it is only a fragment, the realistic representation of the body and face of the saint is striking. According to the legend of St. Christopher, he helped the child Jesus cross a river, and he therefore became the patron saint of travellers. In art, he is often shown with the child Jesus on his shoulder, and we can still see a knee and a small foot on the statue’s shoulders. The buckled belt is a modern detail which places this man in the contemporary world of the 15th century, and his lined face shows his maturity.
