Le génie du mal, Religious marble statue in Saint Paul Cathedral, Liège, Belgium
Le génie du mal is a white marble sculpture of a seated, nearly nude fallen angel, 165 by 77 by 65 cm, set in an open niche at the base of the twin Gothic-floral staircases of the pulpit in St. Paul's Cathedral, Liège. His retracted bat wings cup the body, a broken sceptre and stripped-off crown lie at his right hip, and a tear runs from his left eye.
Guillaume Geefs carved this work in 1848 after church leaders ordered the removal of an earlier work by his brother Joseph. The decision came because the first sculpture was considered too seductive in its portrayal.
The work is known informally in English as Lucifer or The Lucifer of Liège, and Francophone art historians call the figure an ange déchu, a fallen angel. It forms part of the pulpit whose theme is the Triumph of Religion over the Genius of Evil, and a tear runs from the angel's left eye.
The sculpture stands freely accessible inside the cathedral and can be viewed during regular opening hours of the church. The white marble material reflects light from the church windows, making surface details particularly clear.
A single tear drop was carved by the sculptor onto the face of the figure, giving the marble an expression of regret. The work replaces an earlier version that was considered too attractive for a demon and therefore could not remain in the church.
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