Lorenzo Vaccaro

This elegant and dynamic terracotta sculpture depicts Saint Michael standing on the defeated dragon. The sculpture demonstrates a close affinity to the Neapolitan baroque movement and more particularly to the work of Lorenzo Vaccaro (1655-1706). The close attention to detail and lively movement relate to Vaccaro’s signature style. Numerous versions of this subject were made by the sculptor, including the wooden figure of Saint Michael defeating the Devil in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (inv. no. M.82.7), on which he collaborated with Francesco Picano (1677-1743).

RELATED LITERATURE

The Golden Age of Naples: Art and Civilization Under the Bourbons 1734-1805, vol.II, exh. cat. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, 1981, pp. 322-323