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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture It does get muddled. As angels are non-corporeal, they don't have a sex...or a belly button. But we humans have to portray them as what we know. Jaye On 2 February 2015 at 10:49, John Briggs <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture > > I apologise in advance that this is not medieval, but it does relate > to the perennial question "When did angels become female?" (My > provisional answer is in the 19th century, but after the > Pre-Raphaelites.) It is usually assumed that angels are sexless (or at > least pre-pubertal) and male-gendered. I am therefore puzzled by a > marble monument in Sherborne church, Gloucestershire, to James Lenox > Dutton (d.1776) and his wife, sculpted by Richard Westmacott the Elder > in 1791, where a winged female figure is treading (possibly > inadvertently) on an angry-looking skeleton in front of an urn and a > bas-relief medallion depicting the deceased. This is usually described > as "An Angel trampling on Death" - but the figure has one breast > exposed, which is rather unangelic, and if male would indicate > gynecomastia. I think the figure must be an allegorical > personification, but can't decide what is depicted. Could it be Fame, > Victory, History, Life or Love? > -- > John Briggs > > ********************************************************************** > To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME > to: [log in to unmask] > To send a message to the list, address it to: > [log in to unmask] > To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion > to: [log in to unmask] > In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: > [log in to unmask] > For further information, visit our web site: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religion > -- Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. - Oscar Wilde <http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/29590.html> Please check out my blog: http://catholicanuck.blogspot.com And www.saintgabriels.ca ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religion