The Indians would not touch statues of the saints and church figures such as these – so many of them were made hollow, and served safe hiding places for valuables during the raids of the slave traders who came down from Brazil and took many Indians away to work on plantations. Just visible is the removable back panel. On many of the statues they were painted and the crack/join/seal can be hard to see.
Anyway this gives you proof, if you need it, that this beautiful fine soft orange silk robe edged with gold lace, over a black silk garment embroidered in gold, is all actually carved from wood and then very senstively painted. 