Angel, c.1250 (walnut with traces of gilding & polychromy)

Surviving in fragmentary condition, this pair of angels lacks lower arms, hands, wings, and attributes. Their original paint and gilding, now almost entirely lost, once rendered their garments a rich brocade and their hair a luxuriant gold. Nonetheless, in their graceful poses and sublime faces--which may portray tragic interest, anguish, or deep concern--their original delicacy and power are still evident. They embody the monumental style of 13th-century High Gothic cathedral sculpture in France. Their style specifically suggests they were carved in or around Reims, possibly by sculptors associated with the cathedral there. Their original placement is unknown, but they may have flanked an altar on columns or been placed within the spandrels of a ciborium.