The world of beautiful angels and cherubs have fascinated us for hundreds and even thousands of years, and the angels by Raphael is a sublime work to behold.
From a painting in the Sistine Madonna, this work depicts two cherubs with gorgeous faces that seem to portray innocence and blissfulness at the same time:
See Angels by Raphael tapestry here
I remember seeing this design for the first time as a Christmas card.
And have wondered where the original image came from ever since…
Originally a religious work, containing St Sixtus and St Barbara on either side of them, this piece has captured the imagination as has been a calling card so to speak for the great artist Raphael who is one of the big names in the Renaissance period where the golden age of art produced some of the most famous and beautiful pieces of art in history.
Why?
It’s because of its striking appeal to our imaginations and senses as well as its strong link with history.
The original painting was created in 1512-1514 and has pictured Mary and child floating on a bed of clouds, flanked by the 2 saints with the cherubs below.
It is reminiscent of the great works of Raphael’s (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) contemporaries Michelangelo (8 years older than Raphael) and Da Vinci (30 years his senior) with the realism tempered by fantasy and idealism at the same time.
The painting was originally thought to decorate the tomb of Pope Julius II and was situated for a while in St Sixtus convent before its donation by the monk keepers of this work to Augustus III of Saxony who was eventually pronounced King of Poland after his inheritance to the throne.
Madonna Sistina courtesy of Wikipedia (public domain work)
Spot the cherubs underneath?
Raphael lived and worked in Florence and northern Italy before moving to Rome, where he was commissioned by Pope Julius II to create art for Pope’s private library at the Vatican.
The commissions at the Vatican took up much of his time and eventually he had an art workshop of over 50 students who later became prominent artists themselves.
This is a fine art tapestry that portrays an image that rivals the famous images of the Sistine chapel itself. The Italian renaissance was a springboard of so many paintings and iconic images that inspire us today, and like the many displays in the Metropolitan Museum of Art from this era, they are fine examples of what art was about int he high Renaissance era in Europe in those times.
So if you’re looking for a gorgeous Raphael tapestry, then have a look at:
Angels by Raphael tapestry
and a second version here:
