Colonial school, Peru, 18th century. Saint Michael Archangel. Sculptured huamanga stone. It rests on a marble base. ...

Colonial school, Peru, 18th century. Saint Michael Archangel. Sculptured huamanga stone. It rests on a marble base. The archangel appears dressed in warrior clothing, he carries the sword in his right hand and the shield in his left, at his spies the demon he defeats. This representation responds iconographically to the traditional models that show him submitting to Satan, very repeated, both in painting and sculpture, in European and viceregal art. It symbolizes the triumph of the Church over Heresy. His devotion spread throughout Hispanic America, individually or as part of angelic hierarchies, and the role that these figures played in linking Christianity with the beliefs of indigenous populations contributed to this. He introduces us to a young and beautiful Saint Michael with delicate features. 58 x 26 x 15 cm. Height with base: 63.5 cm. From the beginning of the Colony (1533) the alabaster or Huamanga stone began to be carved, a stone similar to marble but softer and more translucent. The province of Huamanga in the Ayacucho region is the place where its best quarries are found and this is why it is named. During the Viceroyalty, especially in the seventeenth century and in the first half of the eighteenth century, he stood out for his fine work in carving religious figures, either in bulk or in relief. The religious sculpture was based on models or European iconographic creations that, like the wooden sculptures, fulfilled the evangelizing role designed by the Catholic Church and the Spanish Crown, so they deal with themes alluding to the lives of the Virgin Mary, of Jesus and the saints, as well as Old Testament passages. With these works, Huamanga achieved the prestige that would make it the center of artistic and handicraft activity in the country. Later, in the second half of the 18th century, the secular and traditional themes were introduced into the production of Huamanguino alabaster. The ornamental representations address gallant figures of young musicians, reclining ladies, among other allegorical motifs. Reference bibliography: Natalia Majluf and Luis Eduardo Wuffarden: “The Huamanga stone: the sacred and the profane”. Lima, 1998.