Terracotta model depicting the Archangel Saint Michael vanqu - Lot 134

Lot n° 134
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Estimation :
4000 - 6000 EUR
Terracotta model depicting the Archangel Saint Michael vanqu - Lot 134
Terracotta model depicting the Archangel Saint Michael vanquishing the devil or a triumphant monarch Italy or France, 18th century H: 40 cm The sculpture shown here has in the past been described as depicting Saint Michael vanquishing the demon, particularly because of the visible iron reinforcements on the upper body, which may have been used to attach the archangel’s wings. However, the ancient-style breastplate, the pteryges, the drapery, and the defeated figure at the character’s feet also suggest a secular iconography: that of the King of France depicted as an ancient hero and a triumphant monarch, a motif widely developed by the French monarchy in the 17th and 18th centuries. This iconography was notably used to glorify Louis XIV, as illustrated as early as 1653 by Gilles Guérin’s *Louis XIV Defeating an Allegorical Figure of the Fronde*, housed in the Louvre Museum (inv. RF 4742). This work could thus be seen as part of this tradition of depicting the victorious sovereign as akin to the heroes of antiquity, although it cannot be stated with certainty that it depicts Louis XIV.
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