Da Vinci: Inspired by Angels
Archangels were a frequent inspiration for art from the 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 - Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael and Michael were prominent in religious lore of Christianity, Juadaism and Islam, though mentioned very little in the canonical Gospels. Archangel statues are still present across Europe due to the popularity they received during the Renaissance era.
The most famed of the Archangel Michael resides in the Santa Maria della Concezione, a church commissioned by Pope Urban VIII in 1626. The work is from Italian artist Guido Reni, who favored the high-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 fair haired, musculatured angel with androgynous features standing above Satan, 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 Satan and binds him for 1000 years. It is often referred to as Archangel Michael Slaying the Devil.
The Archangel Gabriel was the angel who told the Virgin Mary that she would have a son by God. This biblical event is referred to as The Annunciation and is a frequent subject of Renaissance art. Two works stand out as iconic paintings on the subject. Da Vinci’s the Annunciation was painted from 1472-1475 and is credited to both Da Vinci and his mentor Andrea del Verrocchio. The painting depicts Archangel Gabriel kneeling before Mary, a Madonna lily in hand to symbolize Mary’s virginity.
The Cestello Annunciation by Botticelli, commissioned in 1489, captures the same event with similar imagery. 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, speaking the words from the Gospel of Luke which were engraved into the paintings original frame. Today both paintings can be seen in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
Archangel Raphael was most often painted as the guardian of Tobias, son of Tobit on his journey to recover hidden money for his blind father, a passage from the Book of Tobit. His role as god of healing and protector 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. Rembrandt took great interest in the Book of Tobit and the Archangel Raphael, making it a frequent subject of his work.
Da Vinci used Archangel Uriel as the subject of 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 Lourve 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 Uriel’s extended hand.
The archangels appear as popular today as ever and have been frequent subjects of TV and film over the past two decades. Archangel figurines and statues are a popular decorating choice and the trend appears unlikely to abate any time soon.
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Tags: archangel, archangel statues, archangel gabriel, archangel michael, archangel raphael, archangel statue, archangel uriel
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