Trompetblæsende engel, i baggrunden keruber 1708 - 1737

Carl Christian Gottlieb created this oil painting, "Trumpet-blowing Angel, with Cherubs in the Background," in Denmark, most likely in the early 18th century. It presents an interesting problem for the art historian. The image is of an angel performing music, but what was its social function? Was this painting commissioned by the church or intended for private devotion? We can look at the angel’s emotional state and the cherubic background to explore the cultural associations with religious iconography at the time. Considering the Reformation's impact on religious art, we might ask whether this work is self-consciously conservative in a predominantly Protestant culture. Or does it, perhaps, reflect a continuing patronage of the arts by wealthy families, who had the resources to maintain private chapels? To answer these questions, historians turn to records of patronage, church archives, and inventories of private collections. Through such research, we can better understand the place of art within the complex social and institutional contexts of its time.