Angel Musician, Melozzo da Forli, Renaissance Art Notebook

Angel Musician (c. 1480) by artist Melozzo da Forlì (c. 1438-1494) is a vintage Renaissance Era fine art religious portrait painting. A fresco with an angel making music by playing a musical instrument, the lute. This is one of the most wonderful works of the Italian Renaissance, even in its heavily damaged state. Melozzo da Forli was commissioned by Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (later Pope Julius II) to decorate the apse of the Santi Apostoli in Rome. This work was executed by Melozzo da Forli between 1480 and 1484, but only remains in fragments now in the Vatican Museum. The surviving fragments depict the the Ascension, Apostles and music making angels.