An Angel in Red with a Lute
- Artist: Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis
- Date: about 1495-9
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "An Angel in Red with a Lute" by Giovanni Ambrogio de Predis. Painted in the Italian north, this work was created around 1495-9 using oil on wood.
The painting shows an angel standing in a grey niche, distracted from his music as he gazes intently at something outside of the picture. The object of his fascination is a statue of the Virgin Mary, which he and his companion angel are serenading with their music.
As part of a large altarpiece made for the church of San Francesco Grande in Milan, both this painting and its pair, "An Angel in Green with a Vielle", were designed to frame a sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Later, they ended up on either side of Leonardo's 'Virgin of the Rocks', before being re-designed and separated.
Compared to its pair, this painting is more restrained, with a more even range of colours and less dramatic contrasts between light and shade. This gives it a slightly less three-dimensional effect and a more decorative overall appearance.
See it in person
An Angel in Red with a Lute hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
