This U.S.-rate Christmas
stamp captures the Adoring Angel, an oak and maple statue
likely commissioned by the Catholic Church which features complex
iconographic imagery. Its stylistic qualities suggest it
was created in the latter part of the seventeenth century.
The Adoring Angel was originally part of the church
tabernacle, one of two figures that formed the canopy above the main structure.
The pair were tilted forward to form huge inverted brackets. Their
muscular figures, light and decorative robes, and windblown hair are all in
keeping with the Baroque ideal.
Over the years, the statue was moved from church to church. In 1976,
it was acquired by the Musée du Québec.
