Angels
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Authors
Vincenzo Ciniselli (design), Giacomo Bono (stucco work), and Il Salo (stucco work)
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Keyword
Angel
Alternative Title
Abstract
The large stucco angels framing symbols of the Virgin Mary in the vaulting of the Santuario della Beata Maria Vergine dei Miracoli in Saronno were created in 1631-3, as a part of rennovations of the site, which was (and is) a focus of pilgrimage, because of the miraculous image believed to be held within. The younger and smaller angels on the sides of the vault, sitting on plinths and framing the Serliana windows, are reported to be made of stone, not stucco, and documents suggest that these could be earlier than 1569, when a visitor described such sculpted angels in the church. The stucco angels, in the central vaulting relate to this earlier scheme, but instead are made of lighter stucco (a kind of plaster used for sculpture in classical Antiquity and revived in the Renaissance). Both the Renaissance and Baroque angels are mostly white, but selective details have been gilded (and possibly painted, though this is difficult to ascertain from a distance): trim on clothing, hair, wings, and pupils, making the figures easier to read from a distance and more lively, but not on a different level of reality from the paintings which they frame (though these are symbols, not naturalistic). Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Description
Santuario della Beata Maria Vergine dei Miracoli, Saronno
Citation
Maria Luisa Gatti Perer, Il Santuario della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli di Saronno (Saronno: Istituto per la Storia dell'Arte Lombarda/Parrocchia della Beata Vergine dei Miracoli, 1996), 358-66.