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For centuries,angelshave graced works of art with their ethereal presence.
Art from the Classical period (510 BCE-323 BCE) depicts Eros as an adolescent with prominent wings.
Though believed to be Gabriel, thisfiguredid not have wings.
Lamassu from the Neo-Assyrian period, Reign of Sargon II (721-705 BCE)
In fact, it wasn’t until the following century that artists would associate the familiar forelimbs with angels.
The Annunciation, Taddeo Crivelli, ca.
1469 Ms. Ludwig IX 13, fol.
“Eros,” c. 470 BC–450 BC (Photo:The LouvreviaWikimedia Commons)
3v (Photo: Public domain, viaJ.
An early example that demonstrates this shift isMadonna With Child and Two Angelsby Fra Filippo Lippi.
JewishmodernistMarc Chagallregularly incorporated angels into his work, citing his lifelong interest in the Old Testament as his muse.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace (Photo:Stock Photosfrom muratart/Shutterstock)
I have been fascinated by the Bible since I was very young, he said.
Since that time, I have been seeking to express this philosophy in life and art.
Mosaic of the Archangel Michael (13th century) from Church of Santa Maria dell' Ammiraglio (Photo:Stock Photosfrom Renata Sedmakova/Shutterstock)
“Madonna and Child with Angels” by Pietro di Domenico da Montepulciano, 1420 (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of ArtPublic Domain)
“The Annunciation,” Taddeo Crivelli, ca. 1469 Ms. Ludwig IX 13, fol. 3v (Photo: Public domain, viaJ. Paul Getty Museum)
Fra Filippo Lippi, “Madonna With Child and Two Angels,” ca. 1460-1465 (Photo: Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons)
Jan Van Eyck, “The Annunciation,” c. 1434-1436 (Photo: Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons)
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Song of the Angels,” 1881 (Photo:Getty Center, Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons)
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Birth of Venus,” 1879 (Photo:Musee d’Orsay, Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons)
Marc Chagall’s ceiling in the Opera National de Paris Garnier, 1964 (Photo:Stock Photosfrom lapas77/Shutterstock)
