Artwork
Angel with Portative Organ
Angel with Portative Organ is an unspecified painting by the Early Renaissance artist Cristoforo Cortese. It dates from 1401 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The pairing of the angel with the organ specifically evokes sacred music and liturgical praise, situating the image within the religious genre.
The subject of the work is an angel shown playing a portative organ, a small portable pipe instrument held by the figure. In Christian iconography, angels depicted with musical instruments function as celestial musicians praising the divine, a motif drawn from scriptural visions of heavenly worship such as those in the Book of Revelation. The pairing of the angel with the organ specifically evokes sacred music and liturgical praise, situating the image within the religious genre.
The compact format of the panel, with its modest height of 6.1 units and width of 4.4 units, suits an intimate devotional object meant to inspire contemplation of angelic song and heavenly harmony.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Angel with Portative Organ was created in 1401 by the artist Cristoforo Cortese. This religious work, which depicts an angel playing an organ, originated within the early 15th-century Italian artistic context. Historical records indicate the piece was once part of the private collection of Robert Lehman.
It subsequently entered the holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently maintained as part of their permanent collection. The work is classified as a religious painting and is noted for its specific dimensions, measuring 6.1 units in height and 4.4 units in width. While the specific commission details remain undocumented in the available records, the dating is consistently established as the year 1401 across sources.
Angel with Portative Organ, a 1401 religious painting by Cristoforo Cortese, is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It forms part of the Robert Lehman collection, which the museum acquired as a distinct grouping of works. The painting is catalogued under the museum’s inventory as part of this collection, though a specific accession number is not provided in the source material.
The available documentation records its creation date, dimensions, and classification as a painting, but does not mention any exhibition history or loan records. Consequently, the work’s provenance is limited to its inclusion in the Lehman collection at the Met.
Overview
This painting, titled Angel with Portative Organ, was created by Cristoforo Cortese in 1401. It portrays a solitary angel holding a small, portable organ, rendered with a sense of calm and introspection. The artwork is currently housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing an early 15th-century religious depiction. The composition emphasizes a quiet, devotional atmosphere through its subject and visual execution.
Technique & Style
Cortese's work exemplifies early 15th-century artistic conventions, featuring a vibrant palette and rich details. The angel is adorned in a green robe with red highlights and blue wings, contrasting with a luminous gold background and a surrounding gold border. The delicate rendering of the robe's folds and the overall composition contribute to the painting's peaceful and contemplative quality, typical of medieval devotional imagery.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cristoforo Cortese (active by the 1390s, died 1445) was the leading manuscript illuminator in Venice during the first half of the fifteenth century.
