St John the Evangelist - Alessandro Algardi

St John the Evangelist alessandro algardiart history baroque sculpture saint stucco 17th century


























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The stucco used in the17th century was not made the way that modern stucco is today. Traditional stucco was made from lime, sand and water and in many cases looked like polished stone and it was because of this that many sculptors used stucco instead of stone. It can also be worked easily which the baroque sculptors made good use of and this sculpture is a good example of stucco sculpture. And indeed to the contemporaries of the time this would have been seen as a smooth transition from the walls of the building to the decoration and could be plastered on like modern plaster is used today as well as worked into figures. � Rev Joy Gartside 2008