Portuguese School, Late 17th Century, Pair Of Angelic Figures

Portuguese School, late 17th century

Pair of angelic figures

Carved wood, gilded and painted, height 59 cm – 60

Pair of devotional sculptures depicting Archangels in the guise of miles christianus, standing on contemporary shaped bases. The figures are rendered according to the classic triumphant iconography of Baroque statuary from the Iberian region: they wear military attire inspired by antiquity, characterized by sculpted armor, short tunics with dynamic and well-defined drapery, and finely decorated greaves. In particular, the figure wearing a helmet can likely be identified as a soldier angel or as Saint Michael the Archangel himself, whose raised hand was originally intended to hold a spear or sword, now lost. The outstretched arms and the upward-pointing index finger lend the composition a marked dynamism and an intense expressive power, typical of works intended for altars or devotional contexts in the late seventeenth century.

The attribution to the Portuguese school is primarily supported by the stylistic rendering of the faces and the decoration of the supports. The facial features—with their pronounced lines, prominent eyes, and dome-shaped hair gathered into compact curls—display the sculptural and expressive synthesis typical of workshops on the Iberian Peninsula and its overseas territories. Of great interest is the craftsmanship of the shaped octagonal bases: finely lacquered in light polychrome, they feature refined stylized floral motifs on the front, with central corollas and plant scrolls reminiscent of textile designs. This specific decorative motif, combined with the gilding on the garments and the vibrant combination of teal, red, and gold tones, constitutes one of the most emblematic and recognizable features of Portuguese wooden sculpture from the late 17th to the early 18th century.