Cherubim in Fifteenth Century Paintings

Throughout history, the cherubim that accompany God the Son or God the Father have appeared in our paintings and artistic works. They are said to be protectors as well as those who praise the Father forever. For each region and each specific artist, the depictions of these angels have changed, whether by color, size or even by the chosen body parts depicted. One of the time periods that these cherubs are most prevalent is in the fifteenth century in Italian paintings, specifically in Sienese works. Often these cherubim are painted as little heads protruding from wings that surround them, given them to appearance of birds with way too many feathers. They have been shown in mainly blue or gold, depending on the painter and even the region where the painter lived and studied, though sometimes they can be seen in red and green. Sometimes they are privileged enough to have full bodies, but in fifteenth century Italian paintings, this is not all so common. Whether they have full bodies or not, cherubim are almost always seen surrounding God the Father or Jesus Christ, whether on the cross or in conversation with numerous saints. Their role is to praise and support, to morn and lament over what has befallen the Lord of hosts.

Niccoló di Buonaccorso, The Coronation of the Virgin, 1380

Tempera on wood, gold ground, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1975.1.21

Being the oldest of the pieces chosen for this exhibit, The Coronation of the Virgin contains numerous cherubim surrounding the coronation discussed in its title. This painting appears to have two separate types of cherubim. The largest and most prominent of the two are blue with only a head and wings surrounding it. Directly below them are miniscule heads joined by what appears to be white cloth. These cherubim seem to be what Giovanni di Paolo based his The Creation of the World and the Expulsion from Paradise cherubim on.

Fra Angelico, The Crucifixion, 1420-1423

Tempera on wood, gold ground, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 43.98.5

Though it is not overly apparent in this painting in regards to the cherubs, Angelico was one of di Paolo’s greatest influences. The cherubim in this specific painting are given full bodies, which are not often seen in fifteenth century paintings from the same region. Even though two of them are red, the remaining four are blue, much like di Paolo’s in several of his works. They also only have two wings that are placed on their backs, further differentiating them. This work gives a different view on how these angelic beings have been depicted throughout history.

Francesco di Giorgio Martini, The Nativity, 1460

Tempera on wood, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 41.100.2

Yet another example of the variety of ways cherubim were illustrated, this work also gives them full bodies. Unlike the other paintings, they are depicted in the nude surrounded by what appears to be a deep blue fabric. They also do not possess wings of any type but instead are floating. There are four hovering below this mass of cherubim that do possess wings and are solely women. Di Giorgio continues with the tradition of deep blue in regards to the cherubs as well.

Giovanni di Paolo, The Miraculous Communion of Saint Catherine of Siena, 1460

Tempera and gold on wood, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 32.100.95

Though a contemporary of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, his paintings are drastically different in regards to what is being examined. Staying with his previously seen method of depicting cherubim, di Paolo places them immediately surrounding the God-figure. Given only heads with wings, they are the standard for his work. A noticeable difference though is that he utilizes halos surrounding their heads, which have been painted a brilliant golden color. Their faces are barely discernable, which further differentiates this painting from his earlier works.

Giovanni di Paolo, Saint Catherine of Siena Exchanging Her Heart with Christ, 1475

Tempera and gold on wood, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997.117.3

Moving away from the deep blues of his previous works, di Paolo uses gold to portray the cherubim that are flocked around the God-figure. It is only possible to see two of the cherubim heads in the cluster and there are no obvious wings surrounding these floating heads. This painting illustrates di Paolo’s ever-changing style. As he has done in his previous works, God is appearing out of the upper-left hand corner, though He is now adorned in a deep red robe rather than royal blue.

Luca Signorelli, The Assumption of the Virgin with Saints Michael and Benedict, 1493-1496

Oil and gold on wood, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 29.164

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Luca Signorelli uses incredibly crisp lines throughout the piece. As seen previously, Signorelli depicts the cherubim as heads with wings surrounding them, though there are only two wings per head whereas previously it appeared to be a mass of feathers. Their wings are painting in varying shades of green with red. There are only three and they are not surrounding one of the figures of the trinity as seen previously. This gives another view of fifteenth century depictions of cherubim.

Curated by: Meagan Hess