A beautiful angel in religious art, often shown as a chubby-cheeked child with small wings.
From Hebrew 'kerub' (plural 'kerubim'), borrowed into Greek and Latin. In Judaism and Christianity, cherubim were powerful protective angels, though Renaissance art made them cute baby-like figures.
Medieval artists completely changed what people thought cherubs looked like—the Bible describes them as powerful, sometimes terrifying guardians with multiple wings, but Raphael and other Renaissance painters made them into adorable babies, and that cute image stuck forever!
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