This is a small series of photos of costumed revellers at the Venice Carnevale dressed in Angel costumes....
The original photos were all taken thru the glass panels of the very crowded Cafe Florian.
The models were all dressed in Angelic costumes for a "Paradise" themed party.
Some came near the glass windows to satisfy the curiosity of photographers whilst others were not even conscious their photos were taken.
There were many people jostling for a view of what's going on inside the world's first cafe and of course there are tons of people within the eatery.
An Archangel came near the window so I took one shot, certainly not the best but I liked the costumes very much hence the lots of photoshop to rescue the photos that would have been otherwise deleted. Inspiration for the photo came from those David LaChapelle books I keep at home.
In various theistic religious traditions, an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include protectors and guides for humans, such as guardian angels, and servants of God. Abrahamic religions describe angelic hierarchies, which vary by religion and sect.
This costume is probably that of the Archangel Raphael.
Raphael (UK: /ˈræfeɪəl/RAF-ay-əl, US: /ˈræfiəl,ˈreɪf-/RA(Y)F-ee-əl; "God has healed") is an archangel first mentioned in the Book of Tobit and in 1 Enoch, both estimated to date from between the 3rd and 2nd century BCE. In later Jewish tradition, he became identified as one of the three heavenly visitors entertained by Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. He is not named in either the New Testament or the Quran, but later Christian tradition identified him with healing and as the angel who stirred waters in the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:2–4, and in Islam, where his name is Israfil, he is understood to be the unnamed angel of Quran 6:73, standing eternally with a trumpet to his lips, ready to announce the Day of Judgment.
He is a patronage of Happy meetings; travelers; lovers; the youth; finding one’s spouse; ordained marriage; mental health; healing; guardian angels; shepherds; pharmacists; druggists; nurses; physicians; illness; eye afflictions; the sick; the blind; against nightmares; Diocese of Madison, WI; Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa; Archdiocese of Seattle, Washington; Abra de Ilog, Mindoro Occidental, Philippines; Aloguinsan, Cebu, Philippines...
I subsequently got to know the model Jacopo and he says his costume is inspired by Angelo Turiferario - Angel bearing incense - from a statue he saw outside the Church of San Felice in Venice.
According to the pseudepigraphal Revelation of Moses, another name for Jophiel is Dina (Hebrew: דִּינָה Dīnā, "Judgement"). In the text, Jophiel/Dina is described as an angel of the seventh heaven, a Cabalistic guardian of the Torah (and wisdom itself), who taught 70 languages to souls at the dawn of creation. The Zohar lists her as a Great Angel Chief in charge of 53 legions who superintend Torah-readings on the Sabbath. Jophiel is said to be a companion to the angel Metatron. In the Anglican tradition, Jophiel is recognized as an archangel. She is often depicted in iconography holding a flaming sword, such as the stained glasses at St Michael's Church in Brighton, St Peter and St John's Church in Kirkley, Holy Trinity Church in Coventry and a mural at St. John's Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Athanasius Kircher names Jophiel as Angelus pulchritudinis, "angel of beauty". According to Robert Ambelain, Jophiel is in charge of the Cherubim, particularly the Shemhamphorasch angels Haziel, Aladiah, Lauviah, Hahaiah, Iezalel, Mehahel, Hariel, and Hakamiah.
Archangel Jophiel is the patron angel of law and justice. Therefore, she is the angel who makes sure that The Laws of God are respected. And she brings justice wherever it is needed.
Michael, is an archangel in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i faith. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in 3rd- and 2nd-century BC Jewish works, often but not always apocalyptic, where he is the chief of the angels and archangels and he is the guardian prince of Israel and is responsible for the care of Israel.
In many depictions, Michael is represented as an angelic warrior, fully armed with helmet, sword, and shield. The shield may bear the Latin inscription Quis ut Deus or the Greek inscription Christos Dikaios Krites or its initials. He may be standing over a serpent, a dragon, or the defeated figure of Satan, whom he sometimes pierces with a lance. The iconography of Michael slaying a serpent goes back to the early 4th century, when Emperor Constantine defeated Licinius at the Battle of Adrianople in 324 AD, not far from the Michaelion, a church dedicated to Archangel Michael.
This one was happily dining at the table, but I thought his costume was great so I tried my best to rescue the photo with a lot of photoshop elements and included him in the series.
In modern angelology, Uriel is identified variously as a seraph, cherub, regent of the sun, flame of God, angel of the divine presence, presider over Tartarus (hell), archangel of salvation, and, in later scriptures, identified with Phanuel ("God has turned"). He shines the light of God’s truth into the darkness of confusion. Uriel means “God is my light” or "fire of God." Some sources also attribute the color yellow or gold to Uriel.
According to the teaching of the modern Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Uriel is the archangel of North and of Earth, and is thus associated with the vegetation of the Earth. In iconography he is depicted holding stems of ripened wheat and wearing robes of citrine, russet, olive, and black.
In the Apocalypse of Peter he appears as the angel of repentance, who is graphically represented as being as pitiless as any demon. In the Life of Adam and Eve, Uriel is regarded as the spirit (i.e., one of the cherubs) of the third chapter of Genesis. He is also identified as one of the angels who helped bury Adam and Abel in Eden.
He checked the doors of Egypt for lamb's blood during the plague. He also holds the key to the Pit during the End Times, and led Abraham to the west.
Uriel is a patron of the arts and sciences.