Angels Among Us- Art of Christmas

As we move into the "Holiday Season" thoughts of family, gatherings, Angels, Santa, gifts, and so much more begin. Angels are believed celestial intermediaries between humans and God with various types and ranks including fallen angels.

Throughout human history angels have been painted, most famously the Sistine Chapel of Rome by Michelangelo, St. Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy  by Caravaggio, the Conversion of Saul also by Michelangelo, and The Annunciation by Petrus Christus to name only a few.

Considered one of the most famous paintings in history is The Sistine Madonna, also called the Madonna di San Sisto,  an oil painting by the Italian artist Raphael. The painting was commissioned in 1512 by Pope Julius II. The canvas was one of the last Madonna painted by Raphael.

The painting was moved to Dresden from 1754 and is well known for its influence in the German and Russian art scene. After World War II, it was relocated to Moscow for a decade before being returned to Germany.

Like no other work of art, Raphael's Sistine Madonna in Dresden,  has been hailed as 'supreme among the world's paintings' and accorded the epithet 'divine'....^[15] Wikipedia.

The angels at the bottom of the painting are known as putti, meaning boy or child and are mingled with cherubim. The two painted here are of children that would come watch Raphael paint and are the most commercialized of cherubs known today.