THE FACE OF AN ANGEL

Foundations Prayer Angel Figurine

Often viewed as our silent and unseen guardians, belief in the presence of angels has brought hope to millions of people since the beginning of time.  However, these unseen heavenly beings have been given many faces throughout the ages, being depicted in such contrasting forms as mighty warriors with spears and shields, to chubby-cheeked babies with feathery wings.  It is commonly regarded that they not only protect us and fight for us when we experience trials, but they secretly sit beside us in our times of pain.  They are believed to rejoice with us when we are happy and cheer with a fantastic chorus when we succeed.  So what does the face of such an angel look like?  Are they all the same, or do they take many forms?  Perhaps they are strong-bodied and powerful when we need them to battle on our behalf,  and gentle-spirited caregivers when we need comfort.

Regardless, people feel the need to put a face to these mysterious beings.  We wish to bring them closer and make them feel more present by creating art which symbolizes who they are and what their purpose is.  Often, we give gifts of angel prayers and angel figurines to demonstrate our love for one another.  These gifts serve as a way of telling our loved ones that we are praying for the happiness and protection that only angels can bring. Popular occasions for which we favor using an angel to convey our deep affection and to send blessings to friends and family members are anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, times of grief  (bereavement), graduations, encouragement during times of sadness or illness, to welcome a new neighbor, Mother’s Day, Christmas, friendship, sisterhood, and countless other situations where we wish to express our deepest emotions, especially when words are not enough.

Sacred art has depicted them in many different forms over time, yet some of our favorite modern-day depictions can be seen in the popular Jim Shore and Karen Hahn angel figurine collections.  These two collections present very different conceptions of how they perceive what the face of an angel looks like. Despite their very different interpretations, both styles of angel creations are uniquely inspiring. 

Jim Shore Angel with Red Hearts

The Jim Shore angels are featured as beautiful, down-home people, performing everyday tasks, and are outfitted with a golden halo and wings.  While in the historical accounts of angels, halos are not mentioned often, such accessories are often added in artistic depictions to serve as a symbol of the divine holiness that surrounds these heavenly beings.  In much sacred art, a halo is often shown to be either an aura of light encompassing the angel or a small golden ring which sits atop the angel’s head to symbolize this aura.  By using this insprirational icon, an artist is able to separate the presence of an angel from that of an ordinary person.  Jim Shore does this with his classic, folk-art angels.  His figurines demonstrate the classic beauty of the everyday woman, while exalting her by giving her a halo and wings.

Karen Hahn Mother and Baby

The Karen Hahn angels on the other hand do not possess halos.  Instead, they feature gentle, feminine figures wearing flowing gowns and a pair of curved, graceful wings.  These figures demonstrate the subtle beauty and presence of an angel, showing that although one may be near, she may not always come with a parade of trumpets to announce her presence.

All in all, while no one can be certain of what an angel truly looks like, many artists have used their imaginations to create beautiful and inspiring figures which give us hopeful representations of those silent guardians and stand in our homes as small glimmers of the spiritual majesty and beauty that surrounds us each day in an unseen realm.