17th Century, Couple Of Angels Reggitorta

17th century

Couple of angels reggitorta

(2) Gilded and carved wood, alt. cm 99

The work under consideration is a precious pair of polychrome and gilded wooden sculptures, depicting reggicero angels. This is a typology of objects that had wide spread in the field of wood sculpture, but today largely disappeared, due to the perishable nature of the material. They were meant to be placed either on the sides of altars or on canteens. The two angels are carved in standing position on a polygonal base with a mistyline profile, with decorative scrolls at the corners and a cherub carved on the forehead. The two figures are presented as holding up the cornucopies that act as elegant braces. Particular attention was paid to the carving of the dresses, scenographically inflated by the wind in the lower part, so as to reveal the lower limbs, wrapped in high golden boots. Note that even the tergal part appears carved and still reveals traces of the golden polychrome, therefore sign that the work was intended to be admired from all sides, and not only in a frontal manner, as it usually happened for similar objects, that were often attached to other liturgical furnishings and therefore with a less careful carving on all those parts, hidden from view. Given the taste of the dress, the features of the face with a delicate smile and the carving of the curls that stroke the shoulders, the sculpture can be dated to the seventeenth century. These were works that often required close collaboration between several artists, since the sculptor was responsible for the conception of the image and its carving, while a painter or decorator was required polychromy and gilding.