There are angels among us.
The sweet faces of cherubs smile from throws or the tops of fancy boxes to warm us on winter nights. Winged figures encircle mirrors and hold candles. Angelic images grace fabrics, tapestries, pillows, table linens, plates, candy tins and cookie molds.
For more than 3,000 years, angels have figured in Jewish, Christian and Islamic sacred books, and recently they have become a decorating motif as well, as popular as sunflowers and the sun, moon and stars. Enormous interest in angels has been generated by prime-time television programs and a cornucopia of books, some of them best sellers.
There is an angel-collectors club, a newsletter filled with angel tidbits, shops and businesses that deal exclusively in angel products -- even a mail-order catalog laced with angel-themed products such as a light-switch plate decorated with cherubs.
Believing in angels certainly isn't a prerequisite for collecting images of them. The innocent look of cherubs and the ethereal majesty of adult angels in flowing robes are so captivating it's hard to resist the urge to bring one home.
The sheer variety of angel products is enough to throw one into a heavenly daze, so we've culled some of the best Christmas angels from department stores, museums and mail-order catalogs.
No one seems to do them better than Neiman Marcus, which features no fewer than two dozen angel motifs in a variety of styles and products in its Holiday Planner catalog. Neiman's most dramatic herald of the holidays is larger than life and outlined by 400 lights, so it positively glows when it's lighted. Measuring 50 by 86 inches, this giant angel could be mounted on the front or side of a house or on the roof, which would make a spectacular display. The steel-framed white figure is accented with a red sash and blows a green horn. It's available for $675, by catalog only.
On a much smaller scale, Baccarat took a simple angel silhouette reminiscent of a child's paper cutout and produced it as a tree ornament, in colored translucent crystal. The ornament, which stands 2 3/4 inches tall, is available in amber, ruby or emerald and is ready for hanging with a bright red cord. When light shines through it, the piece sparkles. It sells for $75.
The Winterthur Museum drew from its collection of vintage Christmas cards to design its Victorian angel ornament. Crafted of molded resin, each 5-inch ornament is painted by hand and holds tiny brass bells in its hands. It sells for $14.
Another striking set of ornaments depicts three Gothic-style angels bowed in prayer and wearing gowns that taper like icicles. The imported figures, 7 3/4 inches tall, are made of resin with a gold-leaf finish. The set is $22.50 from the Horchow Home Collection.
Doll-like angels can be used to top Christmas trees or as centerpieces. The Paragon catalog offers an African-American angel crowned with a bough of holly and dressed in billowing robes gathered with a gold cord. The angel is made from shaped fabric, with head and wings in painted resin. A similar Victorian angel -- Yuletide trees in Victorian America often were crowned with such richly robed angels -- is also available. Both are $32.50.
From doll-maker Madame Alexander, there's a festive angel costumed in luxurious red velvet and gold lame. It stands 8 inches tall and sells for $84.95 from the Horchow Home Collection.
Another elegant tree-topper wears rich burgundy brocade trimmed sumptuously in gold thread. This 14-inch-tall angel has a porcelain face and hands and wears a long garland of ruby roses like a shawl around her shoulders. The figure is available through Neiman Marcus, by catalog only, for $50.
From Winterthur comes a 12-inch tree-topper with a flowing golden cape and red and green velvet robes. She holds a garland of silk roses and holly and costs $45.
A real standout because of its simplicity is an all-white angel dressed in a flowing gown with a lacy bodice and gathered with a filmy net sash and cotton cord. The angel has corn-husk wings and hand-painted papier-mache face and hands, one of which holds a golden lantern. She stands 26 inches tall and sells for $58 from Neiman Marcus.
Besides adding the finishing touch to the top of a tree, angels XTC also appear at its base. A 48-inch tree skirt features graceful angels adapted from 15th- and 16th-century Italian and Flemish paintings. The design, on a predominantly blue sky dotted with stars and bordered with decorative ribbon, is silk-screened on cotton and is machine-washable. It sells for $36.50 through the catalog of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Another outstanding tree skirt is hand-stitched in wool needlepoint. Angels with richly colored gowns and petit-point faces drift against a starry, dark blue ground. The piece is trimmed in burgundy velvet and backed in cotton. It's 42 inches in diameter and sells for $224 from Neiman Marcus.
Angel-embellished fabrics can dress up your table as well. One exquisite Belgian tablecloth from Neiman Marcus shows ivory angels with poinsettias and holly on a black ground in a rich tapestry banded in gold braid and fringed in red. This 54-inch-square cloth is $85; in the catalog, it's shown over a 90-inch round dark-green brocade skirt ($175). Tapestry runners of 72 and 94 inches also are available from Neiman Marcus.
Candles always lend a glow to a table. One pair of candle holders is anchored by polychrome, molded-resin angels that appear to be suspended in flight. Their vividly hued robes have a folk-art feel. Gilt accents on the halos, wings, robes, bases and stands glitter like stars. One candle holder is 10 3/4 inches tall, the other 13 inches; a set of two is $42.50 from the Paragon.
Another version of angels in flight, each playing a different instrument, appears in fanciful candle holders of gilded metal. They stand 10 inches tall, resting on posts attached to circular bases. The set of three is $70 from Horchow.
Other decorative angels may assume a variety of functions: A hand-painted box, embellished with an angel holding a dove of peace, makes an attractive display for holiday cards or Christmas greens. The angel is Pennsylvania Dutch in style. With a hook for hanging, the box -- 11 1/2 inches tall and 8 1/2 inches long -- is $30 from Winterthur.
Sources
* Baccarat Inc., 36 Mayfield Ave., Edison, N.J. 08837; (212) 826-4100.
* Domestications, P.O. Box 40, Hanover, Pa. 17333-0040; (800) 414-1114.
* Horchow Home Collection, P.O. Box 620048, Dallas, Texas 75262-0048; (800) 456-7000.
* Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, P.O. Box 244, Avon, Mass. 02322-0244; (800) 225-5592.
* Neiman Marcus, P.O. Box 2968, Dallas, Texas 75221-2968; (800) 825-8000.
* The Paragon, Department UNPR, P.O. Box 996, Westerly, R.I. 02891; (800) 343-3095.
* Spiegel, P.O. Box 6340, Chicago, Ill. 60680-6340; (800) 345-4500.
E9 * Winterthur, Winterthur, Del. 19735; (800) 767-0500.