Bear Flag Blog

Speaking of Empires of the Atlantic World: Britain and Spain in America 1492-1830, one of the fascinating bits I picked up that I had been utterly unaware of before is the Cuzco School artistic tradition, a melding of Baroque art with Catholic tradition. What particularly caught my eye was a gorgeous illustration of an archangel with an arquebus: check out these examples.

Here's Archangel Uriel. Here is one of Laeiel, in a different pose. Here's a glorious Letiel. Their wings are completely overshadowed by their spectacular coats.

In the Anglo-American tradition, of course, archangels have swords. If they are wearing armor it's of a decidedly medieval sort, although after the nineteenth century it might be more ancient Greco-Roman. They certainly are not dressed like a dandy from Queen Elizabeth's court. And I've not seen one with any sort of firearm.

But that's exactly how they are portrayed in the artworks of the Cuzco school - and why not? Archangels certainly were capable of keeping up with fashion and technology, and would without question use the best of both.

Anyhow, I had been completely unaware of this syncretisation, and I think it's excellent.