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.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

c. 1480. Now in Rijksmuseum Netherlands

The Annunciation

c. 1480. Now in Rijksmuseum Netherlands

Tilman Riemenschneider

Alabaster, occasional polychromy and gilt

Size: 39x40.5 cm

The group consists of two separate pieces, probably once part of a single domestic altar.

It depicts the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary: the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will have a child, the son of God.

Mary and Gabriel are depicted in a vivid and detailed manner.

These figures were made in around 1480 by Tilman Riemenschneider, one of the principal German sculptors of the Late Middle Ages.

He used an expensive material: Alabaster. Alabaster is a stone with an extremely fine structure.

It can be beautifully mottled or grained and is often slightly translucent.

The finely detailed alabaster is so beautiful that it was only painted intermittently to provide accentuation.