Angels in classical painting
In this episode, four angel paintings are decoded by Joost Joustra, The Howard and Roberta Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion of the National Gallery of U.K.
*** 'The Assumption of the Virgin', was painted between 1475 and 1476 by an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance, Francesco Botticini.
The painting was commissioned as the altarpiece for a church in Florence, Italy. It is a large painting in tempera on a wood panel and measures 228.6cm x 377.2 cm.
Francesco Botticini (real name Francesco di Giovanni, 1446 – 16 January 1498) was born in Florence, and his father was a painter-artisan.
Botticini painted numerous panels with religious subjects for the homes of Florentine citizens. During the last decade of his career, he received important commissions for Florence and its surroundings.
***'The Annunciation' was painted between 1449 and 1459 by the Italian Renaissance master Filippo Lippi. It is a tempera-on-panel painting of 68 cm × 151.5 cm.
Filippo Lippi was born in Florence, with the full name Fra' Filippo Lippi O.Carm (c. 1406 –October 1469).
During his career, he received important assignments in many places.
In 1441, Lippi painted an altar for the nuns of S. Ambrogio, now a prominent attraction in the Academy of Florence. In 1456, Fra Filippo frescoed in the church choir at Prato. The last part of Lippi's life was devoted to Spoleto, where he was commissioned to paint scenes from the life of the Virgin for the church's harem.
***'Master of Saint Giles' was painted around 1500 by the Mass of Saint Giles. It is an oil painting on oak wood with a size of 62.3 cm × 46 cm.
The Master of Saint Giles (in French: Maître de Saint-Gilles) was a Franco-Flemish painter active in Paris around 1500.
His works were in a delicate Late Gothic manner, rendering textures, light, and faithful depictions of actual interiors.
His paintings showed his affinities with Netherlandish painting.
***'Saint Michael Triumphs over the Devil' was painted in 1468 by a Spanish painter, Bartolomé Bermejo. It is an oil and gold painting on wood with a size of 179.7 cm × 81.9 cm.
Bartolomé Bermejo’s real name was Bartolomé de Cárdenas (c. 1440 – c.1501). He was probably born in Córdoba in southern Spain and worked in Valencia, Zaragoza, and Barcelona.
He adopted Flemish painting techniques and conventions. Bartolomé Bermejo is recognized as the greatest painter of 15th-century Spain.