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Angels Descending to the Daughters of Men

John Flaxman

1821

graphite

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Writing

Dominant colour

Angels Descending to the Daughters of Men is a 1821 graphite by John Flaxman, a Romanticism work, depicting Writing, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: John Flaxman
When & what style?: 1821 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

You see a crowd of women in draped robes reaching up to seven winged angels descending from a cloud. The women stand in a dark landscape, lit only by the angels’ glow. Their faces tilt back in wonder or fear. This isn’t a Bible scene. It copies a 1500s fresco in Rome. Flaxman traced the drawing in graphite, then inked over it to sharpen the lines. The angels look like paper cutouts against the sky. Try looking up John Flaxman next.