Model for an Angel
Annibale Fontana (Italian, 1540–1587)
c. 1583–84
Medium
wax on a metal armature, mounted on wood
Dimensions
54 × 16 × 26 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
European Painting and Sculpture
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1984.38
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
male
About this artwork
Annibale Fontana created this wax model, perhaps in part for the patron’s approval, while preparing a sculpture for the Church of Santa Maria presso San Celso in Milan. The angel was mounted high on the facade, so the composition needed to be impeccably balanced as well as legible from the ground. Wings and a trumpet appear in the final work, but Fontana here concentrates on the deep folds, clinging drapery, and forceful pose.