Angels

These panels were acquired together with The Assumption of the Virgin, a large altarpiece by Neri. They were arranged as a predella, a row of images set below the altarpiece. However, examination reveals that these angels were altered, likely in the 19th century. The joins of the four original panels, each of which featured a pair of angels, have been painted over to create two continuous images. The relationship of the four panels is unknown, and it is unclear whether they were, in fact, once a part of the Assumption. They are clearly responding to something in adoration or gestures. As they are best seen from below, it is possible they once decorated the top of an altarpiece frame, and engaged with the painted scene below.