Roman master, 17th century, Bozzeto, Roman master, 17th century, Bozzeto Adoration of the Lamb

Oil on canvas 46.5 x 67 cm

The Lamb of God lies on a golden altar supported by putti and is honoured with singing and incense by the surrounding angels sitting on clouds. The theme is derived from the Revelation of John (Rev 14:1). The angels are divided into five groups. The group of angels with the lamb is sculpturally modelled and emphasised by light and shadow, while the lateral groups are muted in colour and blend tonally with the clouds. The groups of angels at the bottom are closer to the viewer and are more dominant in colour and modelled more vividly by light and shadow. In the brightly lit group at the bottom left, an angel in a green and red robe kneels, waving a censer, accompanied by two angels singing from sheet music. The group on the right consists of singing cherubs and childlike angels and an angel kneeling in adoration of the lamb. In the centre above the window are three putti. The painting is a bozzetto, a design for a mural in a vaulted room, probably a chapel, as shown by the painted window, which is part of the actual architecture. The Adoration of the Lamb became a favourite subject for ceiling paintings in churches during the Baroque period. A famous example is the painting of the choir apse of Il Gèsu in Rome by Giovanni Battista Gaulli from 1683. Oil on canvas, 46.5 × 67 cm