‘Angel’ will remain in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has acquired the 8-foot marble sculpture “Angel of Purity” by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, put on the market last year by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, which owned it for a century.

The Philadelphia church’s decision to market the sculpture to raise needed funds raised fears the piece would leave the city. It was commissioned for the church in 1902 by physician and author S. Weir Mitchell and his wife, Mary.

Museum officials said that the sculpture, acquired for an undisclosed price, was being cleaned and should be on display by fall, where it will join the artist’s bronze “Diana.”