Customer Reviews

Angels

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This is one of my favorite books in my art history collection. This book is like a little jewel, beautifully designed both inside and out. Every page is rich with color; paintings from across history have been faithfully reproduced with accompanying stories and tidbits that entertain and inform nearly as much as the images and add another dimension to what the viewer is seeing. This book is such a wonderful resource for portraying angels in every form: from the delicately feminine to powerful masculine warriors with wings like eagles (my personal fave), it is well represented here.
The book also looks gorgeous on a shelf, too, with its silver leaf-like cover.

'This is a beautiful book presenting angelic images in great art.

According to the back cover there are "375 images of angels, ranging from early Christian mosaics to the paintings of Marc Chagall".

There are often a number of images devoted to a single biblical passage. For example, for Isaiah 6:1-3 there are eight 2-page spreads dealing with eight works of art.

The first two pages on a passage include the verses referred to along with a short description of how the angels referred to in the passage are depicted in the work of art shown. Then each additional two page spread focuses on how the different works of art present angelic beings referred to in the passage.

This book is a great reference to biblical passages dealing with angels as well as giving a brief treatment of 375 works of art that present angels in a biblical context. Book passages and art refer to:

Genesis (pp. 10-193)
Exodus (pp. 194-209)
Numbers (pp. 210-217)
Joshua (pp. 218-223)
Judges (pp. 224-227)
1 Samuel (pp. 228-231)
2 Samuel (pp. 232-237)
1 Kings (pp. 238-257)
2 Kings (pp. 258-263)
Tobit (pp. 264-307)
Judith (pp. 308-311)
2 Maccabees (pp. 312-313)
Job (pp. 314-321)
Psalms (pp. 322-371)
Proverbs (pp. 372-375)
Wisdom (pp. 376-379)
Isaiah (pp. 380-395)
Ezekiel (pp. 396-427)
The Prayer of Azariah (pp. 428-433)
Daniel (pp. 434-441)
Bel (pp. 442-445)
Zechariah (pp. 446-447)
Matthew (pp. 448-531)
Mark (pp. 534-553)
Luke (pp. 554-667)
John (pp. 668-677)
Acts (pp. 678-685)
Ephesians (pp. 686-691)
Colossians (pp. 692-697)
1 Peter (pp. 698-699)
2 Peter (pp. 700-711)
Revelation (pp. 712-765)

One wishes for a larger format version, but this a great "pocket" (though not in weight!) version for easy reference. The binding looks sturdy, but the weight of the book will undoubtedly put stress on it.

This is a "must have" for anyone interested in studying about or understanding the biblical presentation of angels.