If you go to the Vatican Museums entering the Pinacoteca (Painting Collection), you will see that an entire room is full of plaster and frescoed pieces, with faces and bodies of delicate angels in the act of playing different instruments. You are inside one of the most interested rooms of this section of the Vatican Museums, a place where I always stop with my tourists, in order to know deeper a master of art and a sad story.

The fragments of pieces are called "Angeli Musicanti" (Musicians Angels) by Melozzo da Forlì, painter of the XV century who worked a lot in Rome havi also commissions by pope, also of a certain importance. It is not a case if Melozzo was called pictor papalis (painter of the Pope) under the pontificate of Sixtus IV. One of the most important works done by the master here in Rome was a fresco, that originally decorated the apse of the Saints Apostles Basilica, not far from Piazza Venezia. A very old basilica, dating back to the V century AD, that was restored several times. It was during one of these restorations, which took place in 1711, that it was decided to remove the fresco from its original place, in order to reconstruct better the apse. Sad to think that today the are only 16 sections of the original fresco, including these "Musicians Angels", the heart of the work with the Blessing Christ, now in the Quirinal Palace and other pieces scattered around the world. Melozzo surrounded Jesus with the angelic choirs. A realistic composition in which the artist wanted to depict the joy of the Kingdom of God. Positive feelings are released from these angels, intent on playing. Melozzo studied each single figure changing the poses and the positions. A typical renaissance style. Melozzo gives them a good volume, making better the naturalness thanks to a play of lights and shadows, and making them more defined by the light background chosen for the fresco.

Not only that, because to give a hint of movement and perspective, Melozzo imagined to see some of the angels from the point of view of the bottom, as well as those from the earth, lifted up his eyes to heaven (a view that is defined, at the time, "from below up"). For this reason, for example, the angel that you see on the right, with the yellow tunic, looks so impressive. Why?

Because Melozzo has organized this figure as if it there were a view from the bottom to the top, following what was supposed to be the point of view of the faithful. You can understand how everything, from the harmonious composition to the choice of the colours used, were supposed to serve a single purpose: to make the vision of Christ giving a Blessing, something positive, something light and salvation. It is a pity that today the integrity of the original fresco failed, that is for sure. But also a fortune that, at the distance of centuries, we can appreciate a small portion of that wonder which Melozzo da Forli was able to create.