There is a history to portrayals of the Madonna in art, and it spills over into portrayals of the angels too. It begins, I was taught, with St. Luke's portrait of Mary, and was respectfully copied by generations of artists with only modest changes.
Here is Cimabue's Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets: Inclined head, three quarter profile, straight nose, wide eyes, small mouth, the Infant's profile a mirror image, the angels echoing the Madonna's features and pose.
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| Cimabue, Madonna Enthroned with Angels and Prophets, 1285-86 |
A hundred years later, here is the Wilton Diptych (1395–1399), in International Gothic style with gorgeous blues, and the same features, profile, pose, and echoing angels.
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| Wilton Diptych, 1395-1399 |
A little later, the Madonna and Child with Angels, by Fra Angelico, 1395/1400-1455. The faces are a bit different but follow the same pattern.
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| Madonna and Child with Angels, Fra Angelico, 1395/1400-1455 |
A hundred years later, Madonna and Child with Singing Angels, Sandro Botticelli 1445-1510. There has been a jump in sophistication; these could be portraits of people we meet today. This Madonna is shown face on, but still with the classic tilt to her head, and the angels' features are echos of each other.
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| Madonna and Child with Singing Angels, Sandro Botticelli 1445-1510 |
And that, dear readers, is why I painted the angels in the Huron Carol like this:
