Adoring Angel facing left,
from the old tabernacle of Wawel Cathedral
Author: Giovanni Maria Mosca, called Padovano
Date of creation: between 1533-1536
Dimensions: height: 80.5 cm, width: 42.5 cm,
Technique: marble bas-relief
Weight: 85 kg
On a marble slab shaped like a rectangle stands a figure of an angelic young man. The angel stands straight ahead, with his head turned to our left. He wears flowing robes. His large wings are folded. They are set perpendicularly to the angel’s back. Behind him runs a pilaster. It is a rectangular decoration protruding from the wall, supported by a cornice. It extends the entire height of the slab. The bas-relief is made of reddish marble. The uneven surface of the stone is full of lighter and darker spots, natural to marble. In many places there are cracks and damage.
The angelic young man has slightly wavy hair reaching his shoulders. His smooth face is delicate. The nose is chipped. His eyes are turned upwards. A barely noticeable smile plays across his lips.
The slim figure of the young man is wrapped in long garments. The wide sleeves are rolled up in numerous folds above the elbow. The angel’s arms are crossed on his chest. His hands are chipped. The loose garment is tied in a knot at the crotch. It has a high slit at the thighs. His left foot rests on the cornice under the pilaster. The garment is quite flowy at its lower edge. The angel’s right foot has been broken off.
The wings are folded, with the left one being visible. Its rounded upper edge begins at the height of the head. The lower edge, with long feathers, reaches the hips.
The pilaster is decorated with a vertical strip with carved winding branches.
