This domestic-rate Christmas
issue depicts a Baroque sculpture commissioned around 1673 by the
Récollets to adorn the canopy of their chapel in Quebec City.
The statue represents the Angel of the Last Judgement, enforcer
of divine justice. Made of walnut, the angel, gilded with gold leaf, holds a
white-pine trumpet. His body is long, nearly 10 times the size of his head.
His tunic appears to flutter in the wind, while the hollows in the drape of his
robe and the feathers of his wings allow for the interplay between
shadow and light. The calm and serene facial expression and the careful
positioning of arms and fingers lend the statue a certain elegance.
Angel of the Last Judgement is believed to be the oldest
free-standing figure sculpted in New France. The creator, though unknown, is thought
to have been one of the first European-trained artists to arrive in
New France.
