Angel
late 15th century
Object PlaceItaly
Medium/TechniqueStone; Alabaster
DimensionsOverall: 57 x 26.5 x 9.8 cm (22 7/16 x 10 7/16 x 3 7/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of Quincy Adams Shaw through Quincy Adams Shaw, Jr., and Mrs. Marian Shaw Haughton
Accession number17.1473
On View
Not on viewClassificationsSculpture
Collections
This fragment of a larger sculptural ensemble shows an angel walking, as if about to enter a doorway. Pairs of such figures often flanked the central element of an altar or tabernacle, creating a sense of focus and symmetry and encouraging viewers to enter conceptually into the space or scene.
ProvenanceQuincy Adams Shaw (b. 1825 - d. 1908), Boston; 1917, gift of Quincy Adams Shaw, through Quincy Adams Shaw Jr., and Mrs. Marian Shaw Haughton, to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 29, 1917)
early 16th century
