Angels

Basic Info

The term angel in the Bible generally refers to a messenger from God, though the idea of a guardian angel and angels with other tasks also appears. In the 5^th century, Pseudo-Dionysius put forth a treatise on the hierarchy of celestial beings, which was widely accepted. In it, he described nine orders of angels. In the artistic tradition, four of these are the most popular: archangels (the most powerful of the heavenly beings), angels (the beings most often used as messengers to people), seraphim (6-winged fiery beings who serve God), and cherubim (whose four eye-covered wings mark them as the beings God sends to protect things).

The archangels Michael and Gabriel are the most popular in the art tradition. Gabriel is the archangel who made the Annunciation to Mary that she would carry God’s Son. Michael is usually shown with a sword as he fought with Satan, the fallen angel Lucifer. Raphael and Uriel are sometimes shown in Western Christian art, while Orthodox art creates icons of at least 7 named archangels.

The hierarchical schema presented by Pseudo-Dionysius would theoretically make interpretation of artworks with angels easy. But the artistic tradition often pays no attention to the distinctions that Pseudo-Dionysius makes, and the angel tradition takes on a life of its own in the artistic world, especially during the Renaissance (late 12^th to late 16^thcenturies). In Italy in particular, artists added their own type of angelic being—a flying baby with two wings known as a putto (plural: putti), though in English they are often also called cherubs.

When encountering an unidentified angel in a work of art, it is safest to assume that it is serving one of three roles: (1) messenger from God, (2) example of supernatural or ideal beauty, or (3) representation of one of the virtues. Putti are often used to denote love (little Cupids), Heaven, peacefulness, happiness, or lightheartedness. As messengers from God, angels are depicted most often in Old Testament stories that specifically mention an angel, but angel is also the one who announces Jesus’ birth to the shepherds in the Gospel of Luke. Angels are sometimes also depicted serving Jesus in some way, such as playing music while he sleeps as a child or catching his blood in chalices while he hangs on the cross.

What to Look For

• Wings, usually like birds, not bats (4 wings with eyes on them are usually cherubim, 6 wings indicate seraphim, etc.)
• Physical appearance (beauty, gender [male, androgynous, female], whole bodies or not, etc.)
• Accessories (halos, scrolls, musical instruments, sword and armor for Michael, staff or lily or some symbol of Christ for Gabriel, etc.)
• Evidence of virtue (faith, hope, love, temperance, fortitude, justice, prudence, etc.)

Questions to Focus a General Interpretation

Does the artwork depict the angel(s) with specific functions necessary to the action of the story or is the angel(s) serving as a decorative extra? If the angel(s) in the artwork isn’t serving particular functions, notice its physical features and virtuous behavior.

Questions to Guide a Personal Interpretation

Are the angels depicted convincing as messengers from God? What form would you expect such messengers to take?

Questions to Suggest a Historical Interpretation

Does the quantity and/or beauty of the angel(s) suggest that they were meaningful in the art of their day or that they were a fad in the artist’s time and place?