Enhanced image
Description
A carved and painted angel shown frontally, with shoulder-length hair and wings extended horizontally. The layered feathers retain traces of pale, red and gold colouring. The angel wears a dark garment and holds a large pointed heraldic shield in both hands.
Heraldry
Provisional blazon: Chequy Argent and Sable, a fess Gules.
In plain English, the shield is patterned with alternating white and black squares, crossed horizontally through the centre by a broad red band.
The principal design is clearly discernible, although wear and the softness of the original photograph make the precise colours and some individual squares uncertain. No family identification should be proposed without corroborating evidence.
Condition
The carving is substantially complete, including the face, wings, hands and shield. Considerable painted decoration survives, particularly on the shield and wings, but the surfaces are extensively worn, abraded and discoloured. There are numerous small holes from probable historic wood-boring insect activity, together with local cracking and losses to the feather edges. Despite this deterioration, the figure and its heraldic design remain readily legible.