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Kneeling Angel
About the Artwork
This angel, and another now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, were probably originally placed on either side of a tabernacle—a structure designed to hold the consecrated bread and wine of the Eucharist—on an altar in a Christian church or private chapel. The angels would originally have had wings, and the now plain surface of the sculpture would have been painted or gilded. Ignaz Günther was among the most sought-after carvers of religious sculpture in southern Germany. His virtuoso skill is particularly evident here in the angel’s pious expression and elegantly formed hands and feet.
Provenance
art market, Munich, 1950s Kurt Rossacher (Salzburg, Austria), sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
Exhibition history
Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966). Loan exchange. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA (organizer) (September 1, 2010-April 1, 2014).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Ignaz Günther (German, 1725–1775)
- Date
- c. 1760
- Medium
- gessoed and painted wood
- Dimensions
- Overall: 83.5 x 39 x 23.5 cm (32 7/8 x 15 3/8 x 9 1/4 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- John L. Severance Fund
- Accession no.
- 1966.18
More by Ignaz Günther in museum collections
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00010707
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