The Symbolism of Angels in Pictures of the Virgin Mary

Explore our full collection

The text below is the excerpt of the book Angels (ISBN: 9781781609538), written by Clara Erskine Clement, published by Parkstone International.

Angels in pictures of the Virgin Mary often symbolize divine intervention, protection, and guidance. These celestial beings are depicted surrounding Mary in various artistic representations, serving as messengers of God’s will and guardians of the faithful. In classical religious art, angels are portrayed with wings, typically in a reverent posture, offering homage to the Virgin. They emphasize Mary’s sacred role as the Mother of God and her elevated status in Christian theology. Their presence adds a sense of heavenly grace and spiritual significance to the depictions of the Virgin Mary, reinforcing her role as an intercessor between humanity and the divine. Through these images, artists convey the belief in Mary’s perpetual intercession and the divine assistance offered to believers through the heavenly hosts.

The pictures of the Madonna, or Virgin Mary, may be divided into two classes; the devotional which illustrate the doctrines or teaching of the early church, and the historical which depict the actual scenes of the life of the mother of Christ.

Balaam’s Ass, Harmensz. van Rijn Rembrandt, 1626, angels — Balaam’s Ass, Harmensz. van Rijn Rembrandt, 1626. Oil on panel, 63 x 46.5 cm. Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris.

When the Virgin is represented wearing a crown or bearing a sceptre and attended by worshipping angels, she is a character of the Queen of Angels. The earlier examples of these pictures, as seen in the Florentine Academy, and in the churches of Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce in Florence are charming in their simplicity and represent a majestic and mystical womanhood. However, by the seventeenth century, these pictures deviated from this idealised womanhood and transformed into portraits of the models themselves. This practice was a favourite amongst decadent artists, and the contrast between the most ancient works and the later pictures, insinuates the lack of reverence in men. These pictures had neither the humility, nor the intellectual power or the sublime faith which the face of the Virgin Mary had symbolised in the past.

The Coronation of the Virgin, an emblem of the Church Triumphant, is one of the most accepted and beautiful works of the middle ages. It appeals to human compassion by depicting the reunion of the mother and son in heaven after their separation due to his death. It portrays Jesus in a position of power exalting his mother above men and angels, welcoming her to his throne and placing a glorious crown upon her head.

The Garden of Love, Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1633, angels — The Garden of Love, Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1633. Oil on canvas, 198 x 283 cm. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid.

In the most ancient coronations, which are very interesting, no angels appear. From the time of Giotto, the beginning of the fourteenth century, however, angels were witnesses of this scene. Fra Angelico’s Coronation, in the Louvre depicts the Virgin in a kneeling position surrounded by musical angels and waiting to be crowned. The Coronation was often a most splendid picture, as it warranted the use of magnificent draperies and other accessories. Every figure introduced had an air of happiness, and the angels were especially joyful.

In the picture known as the Mother of Mercy, the Virgin is often attended by angels. In ancient pictures and bas-reliefs of this subject, she was frequently standing and wearing a long, full cloak, like that of St. Ursula, which was held aside by two angels, thus disclosing groups of kneeling suppliants, praying to her for mercy.

Very often in this picture the Virgin holds the infant Jesus in her arms.

Esquilache Immaculate Conception, Bartolomé Estebán Perez Murillo, 1645-1655, angels — Esquilache Immaculate Conception, Bartolomé Estebán Perez Murillo, 1645-1655. Oil on canvas, 235 x 196 cm. The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.

Pictures of the so-called Pietà represent the Virgin holding the body of the dead Christ on her knees. Many famous artists have represented this subject in sculpture and painting. When it is a strictly devotional work, the Virgin, Christ and mourning angels are the only figures included in the work. However, there are many examples in which angels are omitted, leaving the Virgin alone with the dead Christ.

In the sublimely marble group by Michael Angelo, in a chapel of the Vatican, there are no angels, but we have engravings of another Pietà by this master in which the Virgin sits at the foot of the cross, her eyes raised and her arms extended towards heaven while two angels support the Christ, sitting underneath and leaning against the knees of the Virgin. According to the custom of Michael Angelo, these angels have no wings, but their expressions are such that would make it impossible to mistake them for earthly children.