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Figure of an Angel

Maciej Polejowski

Basic information

ID: С-I-1563
Author: Maciej Polejowski
Name: Figure of an Angel
Date of creation: 1762–1767
Technique: carving
Material: wood polychrome
Dimensions: 156 x 150 x 85 cm (height x width x depth)

Additionally

Type: sculpture
Genre: religious

Information about author

Author: Maciej Polejowski
Author in the original: Maciej Polejowski
Artist's lifetime: after 1734–1806
Biography: Maciej Polejowski (after 1734–1806) was a sculptor and an architect of Lviv; he is associated with the third period of Lviv Baroque sculpture, which lasted from 1770 till the end of the 18th century. Maciej Polejowski was one of the most talented followers of Johann Georg Pinsel, under whom he studied in Buchach. Stylistically, Maciej Polejowski's sculptural works refer to the Rococo style with some tending to Classicism. As the sculptor executed several orders simultaneously, he was assisted by a team of skilled workers. In 1764, like some Lviv sculptors, Maciej Polejowski was granted the right to wear a sword. It symbolically gave him the same status as the gentry of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and exempted him from the jurisdiction of city guilds. In 1766, Maciej Polejowski performed sculptural works in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Lviv; in 1768, he worked in the Monastery of the Basilian Monastic Order; in 1778, Polejowski carved a new part of the iconostasis in the form of an altar for the Church of St. Nicholas in Krekhiv; and in 1781, he signed an agreement to make 6 side altars in the Pochaiv Monastery of the Basilian Monastic Order. Maciej Polejowski was well-known in Galicia.

Object description

The sculpture of an angel comes from the central part of the altar of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is located in the village of Navariia. The figure is represented on the knees, the right hand is pressed against the chest, the left is turned to the side, and the head is raised up. The figure's facial features are carved in the manner typical of Maciej Polejowski. The sculpture has a high forehead, large cheekbones, bulging almond-shaped eyes with an upward gaze and interestingly worked eyelashes along the edge of the upper eyelid, and wavy locks of hair dropped to the shoulders. The folds of the angel's clothes, which are formed of abstract planes with a smooth surface curved at different angles emphasize the dynamism of the whole composition. The sculpture is characterized by a clear contour, dynamic shape, and thorough detailing of small elements. Maciej Polejowski used Rococo motifs in his work.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Figure of an Angel

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