Viceregal school of the 17th century.

Viceregal school of the 17th century, possibly Peruvian.
"Saint Michael the Archangel".
Alabaster (Huamanga stone) carved and polychromed, partially gilded.
Measurements: 29 x 18 x 9 cm.
Sculpture made from a type of alabaster originating in Peru, the Huamanga stone. In the viceregal period, devotional sculptures in this material proliferated, replacing western marble. Huamanga stone carving was a characteristic artistic manifestation of Ayacucho. Saint Michael the Archangel has been carved in alabaster, in a half-bulk figure, intended for a frontal view. He stands on a pedestal of clouds, between which a seraph appears. He wears the military attire of a knight, inspired by the attire of the Roman militia. From the position of the right arm, it can be deduced that he is carrying a spear. The cloths flutter around the figure, giving it a certain dynamism. In the 17th century, Peruvian sculpture underwent a special development with the beginning of an indigenous tradition based on the free reinterpretation of European models imported by the Jesuit missions. The Italian and Spanish influence of the Baroque resulted in its own imagery. Quito was one of the main artistic centres.
According to tradition, St. Michael is the head of the heavenly militia and defender of the church. It is precisely for this reason that he fights against the rebellious angels and the dragon of the Apocalypse. He is also a psychopomp, i.e. he leads the dead and weighs the souls on Judgement Day. Scholars have linked his cult to that of several ancient gods: Anubis in Egyptian mythology, Hermes and Mercury in classical mythology, and Wotan in Norse mythology. In the West, the cult of St Michael began to develop from the 5th and 6th centuries onwards, first in Italy and France, then spreading to Germany and the rest of Christendom. The churches and chapels dedicated to him are innumerable around the year 1000, in connection with the belief that the Apocalypse would arrive on that date. His temples are often located on high places, as he is a celestial saint. He was particularly venerated by the kings of France from the 14th century onwards, and the Counter-Reformation made him the head of the church against Protestant heresy, giving a new impetus to his cult. Saint Michael the Archangel is a military saint, and therefore patron saint of knights and of all trades related to arms.