Italian school (northern sphere), end of the 17th century - beginning of the 18th century.

Italian school (northern sphere), late 17th century - early 18th century.
Pair of monumental baroque angels.
Sculptures carved in patinated oak.
Measurements: 171 cm (height of each sculpture); 18 x 45 x 45 cm (bases).

Imposing pair of angels carved in wood, conceived as monumental sculptures destined to be integrated in an architectural program of great scenographic apparatus. Due to their scale, their vertical conception and their compositional dynamism, they must have been part of an important sacred ensemble, possibly linked to a high altar or to the lateral articulation of a baroque altarpiece.

The figures present a marked helicoidal movement, with soft torso twists and wide, deeply excavated folds that generate intense hallmarks of light and shadow. The treatment of the draperies, with a fluid and vibrant fall, fully responds to the Italian baroque language, where theatricality and spatial expressiveness are fundamental elements. The quality of the carving is evident in the anatomical modeling, in the elegance of the proportions and in the richness of the wavy hair.

The arrangement of the arms and the currently empty space in the hands suggest that they may have originally held axes or large candles, which allows us to consider with high probability their function as cerophore angels. Likewise, the possible later cavities indicate that the wings, now disappeared, could have been independent pieces inserted in origin, a common practice in Baroque sculpture destined for altarpieces.

The use of oak is significant. While in central and southern Italy walnut and poplar were predominant, oak was more common in the north (Lombardy, Veneto or Piedmont), in an artistic context where Italian traditions dialogued with Central European influences. This material fact, together with the formal vigor and monumentality of the ensemble, allows us to place the work plausibly in the northern Italian context.