Sculpture

St George. 1920s. Telšiai district, Paškuvėnai village

Pieta. Early 20th c. Skuodas district, Ylakiai

Pieta. Master Augustinas Potockis. Late 19th c. Akmenė district, Santekliai village

St Florian. Early 20th c. Plungė district, Grigaičiai village

Baptism of Christ. Late 19th c. Kretinga district, Nasrėnat village

The collection of traditional folk sculpture contains over 5,000 exhibits: sculptures, shrines and several memorial monuments created by local god carvers in the 19th and early 20th century. The plots of Jesus Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary prevail. The most popular among them are the Crucified Christ, Pieta, Our Lady of Graces, Our Lady of Sorrows, Jesus of Nazareth, Christ in Distress, among the saints – St. John Nepomuk, St. Anthony, St. Joseph, St. George, St. Roch, St. Barbara, St. Agatha, St. Florian, St. John the Baptist, and St. Isidore. There are some rare plots as well – St. Agnes, St. Bartholomew, St. Dorothy, St. Dominic, and St. Ignatius of Loyola. The authors of the sculptures are prominent masters from Žemaitija, Augustinas Potockis (1844–1945), Antanas Klanius (1830–1920), Juozapas Paulauskas (1860–1945), Kazimieras Razma (1851–1931), Aukštaitian god carvers Vincas Svirskis (1835–1916), Jonas Dagys (1825–1915), Jonas Danauskas (1861–1937), Antanas Deveikis (1818–1920) and others. The themes of works by contemporary folk artists are very diverse – mythological, folklore and literary characters, various work processes and sacral plots are depicted. All regions of Lithuania are represented. The majority of exhibits come from Žemaitija, a lesser number – from Aukštaitija, and several exhibits are from Dzūkija and Suvalkija.