Carved Wooden Angel: Dissimilar Right & Left Sides

It's 13⅛" wide X 9" high; the relief is a bit more than ⅜", and the ground is roughly ⅝" thick; it weighs 37 ounces. The panel is a fine grained, dense hardwood.

The dissimilarity shows as subtle but perceptible changes in texture, depth and detail, which I believe results from having two different carvers. The left wing (her right wing) is sharper, less blurred than the other; many details in the foliage have the same minor but consistent variations, left to right. There are very few tool marks, and the quality of the facing ground is near perfectly flat & smooth, as are all edges and the back.

Deep in some fine crevices are what may be remnants of a previous finish; the upper ~1½" shows spotting that are perhaps mold stains.

An angelic face, youthfully serene, gazes out. She has a hint of a navel, but then, somewhat like a Mermaid, her humanity transforms into a skirt of natural foliage; is this a wood-nymph? There's a story here...but I am without any clue what is being told, or by whom.

I hope a few of you will recognize her, and be familiar with her true place in the firmament. I'll be most grateful for your sharing of that glorious tale. Thanks for lookin'!

 

I don't think 2 carvers. I think the carver's hand preference (rightie or leftie) is enough to account for the differences. Originally gessoed and polychromed.

 

Ditto.
And no mermaid or wood nymph, but a beautiful carving of an angel in floral swirls, like you see in many churches in Western Europe.
The swirls have to do with the style, Baroque and Rococo, not with woods.

And the usual face of the 'baby angels' of the period, which accounts for the 'youthful' look. So a baby angel with a cheeky smile and a pudgy baby body which disappears into the artist's elegant flourishes.
Whether the angel is a boy or a girl isn't clear imo. As far as I know most Baroque/Rococo angels are boys.

 

Gesso is some form of a sealer, or primer...and polychrome is simply multicolored paint? I've heard an' seen both terms, but rarely defined. I will do a bit of research.

How old (or new) could it be? It would be sweet to see what it may have looked like as it was then...

 

Gesso - a form of plaster, thickness depending on intended use.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gesso

 

Gesso as above, and polychrome (many colors), in this case paint.