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The Art of Angels |
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Images of winged figures The image on the left below is known as the Adda seal. It was found in Iraq and dates from c 2300 BC. It shows the winged goddess Ishtar. On the right is Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory, at Ephesus. It wasn't just the visual image that influenced early Christian art, but the function of the various gods and goddesses. Nike reminds us of fighting angels, such as those defeating the fallen angels, though the gender has generally changed. |
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An important function
of angels was that of heavenly messengers. The equivalent in Greek
mythology was Iris, shown in the two images below. In Roman mythology,
Mercury took over as messenger; his wings were usually confined to his
shoes and helmet. |
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 Cabinet des Médailles, Paris |
 Louvre, Paris |
| Angels page 1 | On to Biblical angels |
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