A spiritual messenger represented in Christian art as a humanlike heavenly being, conventionally winged and frequently used in architectural, devotional, and funerary sculpture.
An angel is a spiritual messenger of God. In Christian art angels are usually represented in human form with wings, although the wings are an artistic convention rather than a universal feature of biblical descriptions. They appear as heralds, guardians, musicians, mourners, attendants, and participants in sacred narratives.
In sculpture, angels range from monumental portal figures to altar attendants, kneeling adorers, relief figures, and small devotional statuettes.
Etymology
From Greek angelos, “messenger,” through Latin angelus.
Sculptor Notes
The sculptural problem is not simply to add wings to a human figure. Wings change the silhouette, center of gravity, and rhythm of the composition. A convincing angel should read as a unified figure whose wings belong structurally to the pose rather than as accessories attached afterward.
References
https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2018/heavenly-bodies/exhibition-galleries-met-fifth-avenue; https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/470601