Archangel Gabriel

Information Pictures and Links regarding Archangel Gabriel

Archangel Gabriel has a remarkable position as one of the few cultural figures who plays an important role in more than one major religion. He is refered to in the Old Testament as appearing to Daniel. In Christian tradition he appears to the Virgin and to Zachariah. In Islamic tradition he is renowned for dictating the Holy Koran to the Prophet Mohammed.

The frequent references to Gabrial in literature and Art mean more than any other Gabriel defines most people's idea of what an angel is. In particular the potent image of Angel Gabriel announcing the impending birth of the Messiah to Mary has inspired generations of artists in the process creating one of the most iconic images of Western culture.

This blog collects together a collection of links and information about the references to Archagel Gabriel through the centuries.

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Female or Androgynous Gabriel - Albani Annunciation

Female or Androgynous Gabriel - Albani's Annunciation

Francesco Albani (1578-1660)

The Annunciation

Oil on copper

24 3/8 x 18 1/2 inches (62 x 47 cm)

Hermitage, St Petersburg

Albini's Gabriel illustrates that traditionally it was normal to depict Archangels as female or androgynous beings.

Francesco Albani or Albano (March 17 or August 17, 1578–October 4, 1660) was an Italian Baroque painter born at Bologna.

His father was a silk merchant who intended to instruct his son in the same trade; but by age twelve, Albani studied in Bologna with the Mannerist Denijs Calvaert, where he met Guido Reni.

Soon he joined the so-called "Academy" run by the Carracci family, where he was an enthusiastic pupil.

This studio fostered the careers of many painters of the Bolognese school, including Domenichino, Massari, Viola, Lanfranco, Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi, Pietro Faccini, Remigio Cantagallina, and Reni.

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