COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Published Weekly By Joel Sater Publications www.antiquesandauctionnews.net
VOL. 42, NO. 50 FRIDAY DECEMBER 16, 2011
Heavenly Messengers - Angels On Christmas Postcards hristmas has a pleni- them as winged creatures. Perhaps tude of symbols from his use of a pink robe, a color assosacred scenes to secu- ciated with women in modern lar Santas. Early post- times, contributed to the idea that card makers used angels were feminine. them all to good advantage, but Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) some of the most beautiful holi- of Florence also painted an angel days cards of the early 1900s with wings in his Annunciation show artists’ scene, an idea Merry Christmas depictions of in keeping with the heavenly the concept of And creatures creatures comHappy Hanukkah known as ing from an a n g e l s . elevated place. From Although not Early paintused as fre- Antiques & Auction News! ings of angels quently as other subjects, angels had them clothed in military cosare especially appropriate on tumes of the day or contemporary Christmas cards. They appear religious garb, but flowing robes throughout the Nativity story became standard dress, perhaps beginning with the angel who because the folds were a way for announced the birth of John the artists to show off their skill. Baptist (Luke 1:11). In the The concept of guardian angels Annunciation, the Archangel exists side-by-side with heavenly Gabriel visited Mary to foretell beings as messengers of God. the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:10), Ancient thought as far back as the and angels proclaimed the birth to Greek philosophers speculated shepherds as they watched their about spiritual beings that watched sheep (Luke 2:10). over and guided humans.
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Santa was often pictured inside a house, but it’s rare to see an angel in a home. Here a yellowed-robed female angel is handing treats to children and decorating the tree. The box under the tree is a manger. The Illustrated Postal Card Company of New York published this German-made card mailed in 1907.
Zoroastrianism, a major religion originating in the area of Iran, believes in Fravashi, or guardian spirits. According to the teachings of Zoroaster, the 6th-century founder, these mystical creatures volunteered to descend to earth to stand by people in their last days on earth. In Islam, which mostly replaced Zoroastrianism (although The great artists of the Italian Renaissance did much to establish the image it still survives), each human has of the angel. Fra Angelico’s “Annunciation,” reproduced on a Sborgi post- two guardian angels, one in front card, shows a feminine-looking angel in a soft pink gown with multi-col- and one behind. ored wings. It was printed in Italy.
What are angels? The Hebrew and Christian Bibles and the Quran all portray them as messengers of God, but most major religions have some form of spiritual beings comparable to angels. They weren’t winged beings in the earliest accounts, nor did they have a gender, although they were seen as male figures and given male names. They appeared whenever an important message from God was sent. For example, an angel told an aged Abraham his elderly wife would have a child, and two angels were used to warn Lot before they were used as agents to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. The popular depiction of angels as winged creatures in long robes owes much to artistic license and imagination. Their model for beings with wings probably came from Old Testament cherubim and seraphim or the prophecies in the Book of Revelation. Whatever the inspiration, the artists of the early Renaissance made winged angels popular in Western art. Il Beato Angelico (circa 13951455), a Dominican friar noted for religious scenes, was one of the most famous artists to paint
Young angels with baskets of toys show a new twist on traditional depictions. This card has the rich colors and attention to detail typical of cards made by Paul Finkenrath, Berlin. It was mailed in 1912.
In Hebrew tradition, God promised Moses the help of an angel: “But now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you: behold, my angel shall go before you.” (Exodus 32:34, Revised Standard Version) The Old Testament also pictured an angel as a guardian in the Book of Job, a man who was sorely tested by God with all the ills that could affect a human: “If there be for him an angel, a mediator,
Hanukkah Lamps Selected By Maurice Sendak Displayed The Jewish Museum in New York City possesses the most significant holdings of Jewish ceremonial works in the Western Hemisphere - including the world’s foremost collection of Hanukkah lamps. Through January 29, 2012, the Museum is presenting “An Artist Remembers: Hanukkah L a m p s Selected by M a u r i c e Sendak.” This special exhibition features thirty-three Hanukkah lamps of varied eras and styles, chosen by renowned author and illustrator Maurice Sendak from The Hanukkah Lamp, Eastern Europe (?), 18th, early 19th century, copper alloy: cast and gilded. The Jewish Museum, New York: Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman, F 3481.
Jewish Museum’s extensive collection. This highly personal selection of lamps, many never before exhibited, echoes the quality of line and depth of emotion that define Sendak’s work. Hanukkah begins at sundown on Tuesday, December 20, and continues until sundown on We d n e s d a y, December 28, 2011. “An Artist Remembers”
Nahson recorded as he picked out the works for the exhibition. The lamps Sendak found most compelling and poignant are those that “go right to the heart,” whose “beauty is contained.” Yet his sense of humor was never far from the surface: as he made his choices he often free-associated, whimsically recalling old movies and Catskills family vacations. Above all, he was guided by his sensibility as an artist and author. The lamps on view reflect the diversity of the also Museum’s collecincludes two tion, ranging from original drawan early 20th-centuings for Zlateh the ry lamp, created in Goat and Other Stories the well-known (1966) and In Hagenauer Workshops, Grandpa’s House (1985), with spiral elements and flower and audio excerpts of a (Continued on page 2) conversation between Hanukkah Lamp, Germany, after Maurice Sendak and Jewish 1888, silver: spun. The Jewish Museum curators Susan Museum, New York, JM 83Braunstein and Claudia 52.
one of the thousand to declare to man what is right for him…” (Job 33: 23) In the story of Daniel and the lions’ den, familiar to children in Sunday schools, “Michael, one of the chief princes,” came to Daniel in the form of a man. “Again, one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me.” (Daniel 10:18) The New Testament reinforced the belief in heavenly protectors. An angel appeared to Jesus in the garden before he was arrested. After his death, “an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone.” When Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” came to the tomb and saw the angel sitting on the stone, “His appearance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow.” (Matthew Ch. 28) Understandably, the angel terrified the guards at the tomb, but the role of an angel as a guardian showed up again when Peter was escorted out of prison by a heavenly being. (Acts Ch. 12) The most endearing role of an angel is as a protector of children. In one of the New Testament’s most touching scenes, Jesus gathers children to him and assures his followers that “in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father.” (Matthew 18:10) The concept of angels changed with time and was given new interpretations by believers. By the nineteenth century, they were sometimes seen as forces protecting people from sin. An evil spirit, a tempter, balanced their protective nature. Cartoon images sometimes show a person with an angel on one shoulder (Continued on page 2)