Archangels were a frequent inspiration for art from the late Middle Ages to the end of the Renaissance Period. As Angels of Presence, with the permission to enter the presence of God, the four Archangels - Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel were recognized across the religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, although their greatest roles were often documented in apocryphal writings.
Perhaps the best known painting of the Archangel Michael resides in the Santa Maria Della Concezione, a church commissioned by Pope Urban VIII in 1626. The work is from Renaissance painter Guido Reni, who was a master of the Baroque style which evolved from the Roman Catholic Churches edict that religious art, should appeal to the common man with drama and emotion. Reni's The Archangel Michael shows the androgynous angel hovering over the Devil, his foot firmly planted on the devil's head forcing him to the ground. The painting depicts a scene from the book of Revelations where Archangel Michael commands an Angel Army against the Devil and binds him for 1000 years. The painting is often referred to as Archangel Michael Slaying the Devil .
The Archangel Gabriel was the angels who told the Virgin Mary that she would be touched by God and bear a son named Jesus. This biblical event is referred to as The Annunciation and is a frequent subject of Renaissance art. The most famous Annunciation paintings are works by Da Vinci and Botticelli. Da Vinci's the Annunciation was painted from 1472-1475 and is credited to both Da Vinci and his mentor Andrea del Verrocchio. In the painting Archangel Gabriel kneels before Mary, a Madonna lily in hand which historians believe symbolizes Mary's virginity.
Botticelli's Cestello Annunciation, commissioned in 1489, shows the same Annunciation event with similar themes. The painting is noted for its use of perspective in the tiles that lead the eye to the landscape. Botticelli paints Gabriel with mouth open, to represent his words from the Gospel of Luke which was added into the paintings original frame. Both paintings are on exhibit at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Archangel Raphael was most often painted as the guardian of Tobias, son of Tobit on his sojourn to recover money his father had hidden, a passage from the Book of Tobit. His role as protector and god of healin g is evident in these paintings that show him leading the boy by his hand. Filippino Lippi's version of Tobias and the Angel can be seen at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. The Book of Tobit became a popular subject for Rembrandt, who embraced the story of the pious family challenged by adversity and assisted by the Archangel Raphael.
Da Vinci created two nearly identical paintings titled Virgin of the Rocks or Madonna of the Rocks. The painting depict a moment where the baby Jesus encounters his cousin John the Baptist as an infant. In the paintings, the Archangel Gabriel looks on. Subtle variations can be seen in Da Vinci's two works. In the version that hangs in the Louvre Uriel points at John. In the version of the painting exhibited in the National Gallery in London, Mary, Jesus and John are haloed. While the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has created some controversy around these paintings and the true identity of Jesus in the image - art historians surmise that the original where Uriel points at John who is closest to Mary did create confusion and the second painting by Da Vinci removed this gesture.
Archangels were a popular subject of artists from the Renaissance period who captured the angels in both paintings and Archangel Statues .Rob Mabry is a former military journalist living in San Antonio. He writes about travel, technology, history and film. He is the owner of Your Museum Store where you can find reproductions of famous museum artifacts and art from every ancient culture.
As a lay Kabbalist, a practitioner of the Golden Dawn and a lover of classical art, which includes the poetry of Milton and Blake I have a deep love of this beautiful subject. Thank you for writing it.
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