The French sculptor Michel Anguier, younger brother of François Anguier, is regarded a main representative of baroque sculpting. Michel Anguier was born in Eu (Seine-Maritime) in 1612. After he initially studied in the Normandy, the 15 year old boy followed his older brother François Anguier to Paris, where Michel Anguier studied in the sculpting workshop of Simon Guillain.
In 1641 Michel Anguier and his brother traveled to Rome. While the older brother returned to Paris after two years, Michel Anguier stayed a full decade in the Eternal City and studied ancient art while developing his very own classicist baroque style, a style that would coin his works throughout his life. Especially Alessandro Algardi, with whom Michel Anguier cooperated, had quite some influence on the artistic development of the Frenchman. Michel Anguier was also in contact with the second grandmaster of Roman baroque, Gianlorenzo Bernini, who commissioned Michel Anguier to execute the pilaster reliefs of St. Peter in 1648.
In 1651 Michel Anguier returned to Paris. Together with François Anguier, Michel Anguier worked on the famous tomb for the duke of Montmorency in Moulins.
In Paris the career of Michel Anguier took off. He made numerous works for high-ranked commissioners: Around 1654 Michel Anguier worked on sculpture decorations for the palace Vaux-le-Vicomte. He also was the favorite artist of queen mother Anna of Austria, which is why he made the decorations in her residence in the Louvre as of 1655. Additionally, Michel Anguier made numerous religious works.
Next to large monumental sculptures, Michel Anguier was also successful with small ornamental plastics. His oeuvre is characterized by an expressive, classicist baroque. In 1668 he was accepted into the French academy, in 1671 he became its director.
In 1686 the celebrated sculptor Michel Anguier died in Paris.