A Favourite Angel

We had two rules when we were in Rome. The first one is if you pass a church, go in. And the second was if you see an angel, take a photograph. And it was impossible, actually, to stick to this as both are so prevalent. But we made a valiant effort. This is one of my favourite angels. It’s in the Castel Sant’Angelo and is by Raffaello da Montelupo.

There is so much great art by people who aren’t exactly household names. Which I guess is a lesson (?) haha for us all.

This is what Vasari had to say about Raffaello:

“I believe that Raffaello, if he had undertaken great works, as he might have done, would have executed more things in art, and better, than he did. But he was too kindly and considerate, avoiding all conflict, and contenting himself with that wherewith fortune had provided him; and thus he neglected many opportunities of making works of distinction. Raffaello was a very masterly draughtsman, and he had a much better knowledge of all matters of art that had been shown by his father Baccio.”

Meanwhile, this statue was originally meant to be the cake topper for the Castel Sant’Angelo so to speak, but was replaced by the current one (next image) by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt in 1753. Sick burn right?

At first glance the wings in the Rafaello angel might seem to be a modern addition, but were in fact designed to withstand the winds up there on its perch. I can attest that it’s a breezy place — my hair is flying straight out in the photos we took up there.

So maybe the moral of the story is that your art might not in the end have the glorious top of the castle placement, but it’s easier to see and relate to when it’s relegated to the lower courtyard.