Pair of 17th-Century Polychromed Figures

This rare pair of small-scale carved and polychromed figures was created for private devotion or to adorn a domestic altar in Catholic Europe during the 17th century. Carved in wood and retaining much of their original painted surface, the figures are imbued with a graceful, almost theatrical quality typical of Southern German and Austrian Baroque sculpture of the period. Their delicate proportions, stylised drapery, and expressive postures capture the emotional spirituality that characterised Counter-Reformation art, designed to inspire piety through immediacy and intimacy.
Pairs of such devotional figures survive far less frequently than single examples, making this set particularly desirable. Their survival with significant traces of original polychromy greatly enhances their historical importance, providing valuable evidence of 17th-century workshop practice and devotional aesthetics.