Miguel Angel
Cuilapan, Oaxaca, Mexico
St. Michael the
Archangel
(Sword, armor, helmet, one wing; red knee-length tunic, green surcoat,
red greaves).
Repainted polychrome; carved hair, glass eyes, no lashes;
3'.
The gesso is unusually
thin
and has worn through at the toes to reveal the wood beneath. Two holes
have been formed at the shoulder blades so that wings could be
attached.
These holes reveal the process of the original construction, with
gessoed
linen over wood. Paint has chipped off in the folds of the tunic
between
the legs, revealing the gold of the origi-nal polychrome.
The whole
pattern
of the polychrome of the left sleeve shows through the later
repainting.
The statue is in good condition, but the arms and clothing have been
repainted
and there have been several repairs. The right leg seems to have been
reattached
where the tunic begins. The remaining wing has been patched onto the
right
and a peg shows where the left wing broke off. The helmet and sword are
recent.
More of St. Michael
the Archangel
Photographed
on site by Richard Stracke