236 - Angels; Spain, 18th century.

Angels; Spain, 18th century. Carved, stuccoed, or polychromed wood. Shows signs of wear. Measurements: 19 x 31 x 5 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. A religious sculptural relief depicting three heads of winged cherubs emerging from clouds, carved from wood and stuccoed and polychromed. The composition, distinctly ornamental in character, reflects the style of Spanish Baroque sculpture, in which angelic motifs and clouds were common devices used to evoke a celestial presence and divine glory. The childlike faces, with their sweet and serene expressions, are integrated into a dynamic composition, framed by wings and sinuous forms that lend depth and movement to the whole. The polychromy helps to highlight the volumes and enrich the visual effect of the carving. Given its relief format and iconography, the piece may have been part of an altarpiece, a devotional frame, or a sculptural ensemble intended to adorn a religious space. It is damaged.