Description
The roles of the named archangels and of the rebel angels are identified and the variety of their portraiture compared. A selection of illustrations will depict many of the visitations by angels described in the scriptures and reported since in ecclesiastical records and folk tradition which have provided subjects for paintings. The story of each will be recounted and differences in interpretations by the artists reproduced will be discussed.
The beautiful illustrations make this an anthology of religious art, but it is not just a picture book. It offers an intriguing exploration of the concept of angels and their place in ecclesiastical and popular cosmology and by focusing on a particular subject offers the reader a lucid record of changing artistic style, symbolism and technique.
