Two seated angels, arms around one another, the one on the left looking down at a song book, from The Angels' Concert 1583

Curator: This is “Two seated angels, arms around one another, the one on the left looking down at a song book, from The Angels' Concert.” It's a work by Cherubino Alberti, created in 1583. It's an engraving—so essentially, a print made from a drawing. Editor: My first thought is, these aren't your standard-issue angels. They're quite... muscular! A bit cheeky, really. You expect something ethereal, but you get Renaissance cherubs doing leg day. Curator: Alberti was part of that Italian Renaissance movement, obsessed with the human form, even when depicting the divine. He's playing with visual traditions but injecting a healthy dose of earthly physicality. Editor: The book of songs is a powerful motif, right? Angels are messengers, and here their message is intertwined with music—harmony, order, maybe even a touch of earthly joy as they share this book together? Curator: Exactly. Music, especially in that era, symbolized divine order. The book suggests they aren't just any angels; they are active participants in that cosmic harmony. It brings this kind of cosmic sacred order into the viewer’s space, just by sitting together. Editor: And the composition itself, contained within that framed structure... It’s almost as if Alberti is giving us a glimpse into a private, sacred moment, carefully contained and presented. Like we are not invited to sing along, just be thankful that we get to see it at all. Curator: I feel this incredible closeness they share, and the tenderness too. The fact they're supporting each other seems critical. Editor: Yes, the shared book, the supporting arms... it all speaks to interconnectedness. It almost goes beyond the religious symbolism, tapping into this universal human desire for connection and belonging. It's charming that two celestial figures have something to offer each other that keeps them singing the same song. Curator: For me, coming to this artwork, especially as someone with no musical background, there is an accessibility that makes it timeless. Something in it allows a way to find meaning from both the sacred order, and more terrestrial feelings of kinship, in one simple moment between these celestial cherubs. Editor: Well, it certainly strikes a chord. Perhaps these aren't just angels; maybe they are meant to evoke ourselves, holding ourselves, with each other.