North Italian, probably Venetian, late 17th / early 18th century

Overall the condition of the angels is good. There is some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. There are some, naturally occurring, inclusions and darker veining visible on the surface including at the legs of the left angel. There are several minor chips to the edges of the drapery with one reattached chip to the left angel. The left angel also has a restoration to the index finger on its proper right hand and a circular marble insert on the top of the head. There is damage to the big toe on the proper left feet of both angels.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This intriguing pair of marbles comes from a group of angels that would have held instruments of the Passion. There may originally have been more figures bearing different arma christi, such as the crown of thorns, the nails, the sponge, the cross, or the spear.  Only one of the present pair retains his symbol, that with the column.  The angels stand in elegant contraposto, with a gentle forward movement. The drapery is handled in soft ripples over the legs and falls in elegant, undulating folds under the arm in the angel without the symbol. Both angels have bare, supple shoulders combined with muscular arms. However, it is the sculptor's treatment of the hair in voluminous deep, broad curls that gives the angel a feminine quality which is perhaps the most particular feature of these angels.

Affinities with this idiosyncratic form of the hair can best be drawn with sculptors working in and around Venice in the late 17^th and early 18^th century, for example with the kneeling angels in the group of the Pieta in the Monte di Pieta, Udine by Enrico Merengo, or the pair of angels holding scrolls by Alvise Tagliapietra  in Sant'Eufemia, Rovigno, Croatia or again in Antonio Tarsia's marble Archangel Raphael in Santa Maria di Nazareth in Venice.  However, in none of these representations is the drapery close enough to suggest an attribution.

RELATED LITERATURE
A. Bacchi La scultura a Venezia da Sansovino a Canova, Milan 2000, figs. 501, 617,619 and 621