Angel 1750 - 1799

Curator: Before us is "Angel," a sculpture crafted sometime between 1750 and 1799 by Giuseppe Gori. You can find it here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It’s striking how delicate it appears, almost ethereal. The pale tones and the flowing drapery create a sense of lightness, but there's also an undeniable gravity in the angel's downcast gaze and the weight of that lantern. Curator: Angels appear repeatedly throughout the art historical canon, from antiquity forward. The prominence of angels, particularly during this period, tells us something about the social function of religious imagery during the 18th century. How are we to understand this work beyond devotional practice? Editor: Well, Gori imbues this angel with a variety of recognizable visual cues: wings signify divinity and mediation between realms. But this angel’s stance and expression… I see humility. The lantern suggests illumination, guiding souls, perhaps, through darkness. It’s a powerful and ancient cluster of symbols. Curator: Certainly. What's also striking is the tension between its intended function and the changing roles of art during the Enlightenment. As public museums and galleries were forming in Europe, devotional objects like this were transforming into objects of aesthetic appreciation. Editor: True, the function shifts. While once this may have served as a source of hope within a church setting, today its symbolism serves a different purpose in our own minds. Look closely. Notice how those gentle colors almost soften the blow of religious expectation; an intimacy between the divine and mortal world that carries forward to today. Curator: This really helps me consider how deeply embedded symbols become, beyond their initial contexts. The image resonates even without the specific devotional function it might have once served. Editor: Exactly. And I think in a world hungry for guidance, that symbolism provides solace across eras, making it a lasting object of comfort, wonder, and thought.