ATTRIBUTED TO SIMON TROGER (1683-1768), FIRST HALF 18TH CENTURY

Simon Troger was born in the town of Abfaltersbach in Austria, learning his trade in the first quarter of the 18th century with numerous people, including Nikolaus Moll in Innsbruck. After a two year spell in Munich, he established a large workshop in nearby Haidhausen, executing commissions for patrons such as Maximillian III, Elector of Bavaria. The present piece is typical of Troger's work, combining the dark of the wood with the luminosity of the polished ivory, carved in detail with swirling hair and with eyes inset with glass. His works are often elaborate groups consisting of several figures, and it is probable that this angel was also once part of a such a large composition, an example of which can be seen in the group of the Sacrifice of Isaac in the Bayerische Nationalmuseum (loc. cit., no. 510).