Uriel, Arquebusier

Uriel is one of the four archangels named directly in scripture — unlike most of his militia companions, whose names come from later apocryphal lists — which made him a natural anchor figure for any angel-wall commission. Here he wears the same courtier's uniform as his invented siblings: plumed hat, lace collar, an arquebus held at rest. That scriptural pedigree sitting inside an entirely non-scriptural costume is the joke and the point of the whole genre: even the angels Christian tradition actually names get dressed as Habsburg infantry once a Cusco workshop gets hold of them. A rare case of the militia's most canonical name and one of its harder-to-find paintings finally meeting.

Maker

Andean colonial school (anonymous)

Date

17th–18th century

Medium of the original

Oil on canvas

Original held by

Via ARCA

Credit

Via ARCA

Rights

Public domain, verified

Catalogue number

PA-00139