Today is the Feast of the Archangels. Yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of my mother’s death. I like today a lot better. I went looking for angel art at the NGA and the Walters Art Museum. I enjoy finding engravings from the National Gallery, which are, most often, not on view. Saint Gabriel here has a cross in his diadem.
The Archangel Gabriel, c. 1490/1491, Engraving, Martin Schongauer, German. NGA public domain.
Saint Michael is shown weighing souls as well as being a warrior. It’s not something I was commonly taught.
The Archangel Michael Weighing a Soul, 1506. Engraving, Lucas Cranach the Elder, German.
Finding a picture of Archangel Raphael is an interesting challenge. Raphael as a key word on a museum website gets complex. There are a lot of pictures of Michael (fighting the devil) and Gabriel (announcing the Incarnation) but I did find one of Archangel Raphael, using the story of Tobit as the key.
In the Bible, Tobit is an upright man who goes blind and sends his son on a journey to recover some money. The Archangel Raphael is sent by God to accompany Tobit’s son, and at one point they fish. The fish is used for driving away demons and then for healing Tobit’s blindness.
Landscape with Tobias and the Angel. Flemish, early 1600’s.
I went back to the Walters to check the artist and date for the above painting and found another little jewel. Here are Tobias, Tobit’s son, and the angel setting off on their journey with the little dog following. This is from a manuscript called the Conradin Bible, around 1260.
September 30 is the Feast of Saint Jerome, so here he is as well. Not quite so grumpy as he might be.
Saint Jerome in His Study, Antonio da Fabriano II (Italian, active 1451-1489), 1451 (Renaissance), tempera, oil (?), and gold leaf on wood panel. Walters Art Museum. PD
UPDATE: Somehow, I never find everything I want from the Walters website in a single pass. I actually wanted the below picture of Saint Jerome by Giovanni d’Alemagna (from Germany), 1444. Oil on wood panel, probably part of an altarpiece. A last minute, one more check, and the painting showed up.
