Viceroyalty school of the XVIII century.

Viceroyalty school of the XVIII century.
"San Miguel".
Painted terracotta.
Measurements: 43 x 25 x 16 cm (sculpture); 6 x 24 x 19 cm (base).

This hand-polychromed terracotta piece stands out for its high artistic quality, a representative characteristic of the Novo-Hispanic school of the 18th century, where European techniques were fused with local sensibilities and materials.

The scene represents the Archangel Saint Michael, emblematic figure of the struggle of good against evil, in the act of subduing the devil. The subdued creature, symbol of evil, departs from the traditional zoological model to acquire a slightly anthropomorphic form in his torso, although with goat's feet, demonic face, goat's beard and horns, iconographic elements linked to representations of the devil in Christian art.

St. Michael, dressed as a Roman soldier, wears a pleated skirt with brocaded strips and tassels, worked with great detail that shows the technical management in the simulation of textures and qualities. The chest adorned with borders, the wings detailed in each of its feathers and the billowing cape reinforce the dynamism and nobility of the figure. She wears sandals and leggings with golden edging, alluding to both her celestial and military character. His idealized face, curly hair, helmet, sword (although it lacks the edge) and a shield decorated with baroque motifs, complete the set of warrior attributes of the archangel.

The religious works made in colonial times in the workshops of Peru and Mexico showed a deep expressiveness, especially during the Baroque period, as well as a strong didactic and devotional charge. The aim was to impact the viewer, mobilizing faith through emotion and dramatic realism, objectives fully achieved in this work. Novo-Hispanic sculpture of the 18th century was an art of hallmarks, combining the European artistic heritage with a sensibility and materials typical of the New World. Its ornamental exuberance and intense emotional charge make it one of the richest and most complex manifestations of American viceregal art, whose legacy lives on in the images that are still preserved today.

The use of painted terracotta allowed for greater formal flexibility and richness of color, while the idealism of St. Michael's face and the expressive naturalism of the devil dialogue with the aesthetic principles of the Baroque, as well as with the catechetical function of viceregal art. In summary, this sculpture is an excellent example of 18th century religious art in the viceroyalty, where technique, symbolism and theatricality converge to generate a powerful image of celestial triumph.