Description
And There Were Angels Ornament by P. Buckley Moss
Introduction
And There Were Angels Ornament by P. Buckley Moss is a limited, numbered porcelain ornament centered on the sacred imagery of the Nativity. Mary stands holding the infant Jesus while a gathering of angels rises around her in flowing shades of blue, cream, soft gold, and warm neutral tones.
The ornament’s elongated teardrop form creates a natural frame for the figures. A fine gold border follows the outer contour, while the angels’ wings and robes build upward around Mary and the child, giving the small composition a sense of height and movement.
Canada Goose Gallery’s approved inventory identifies And There Were Angels Ornament as Product ID 1823, a Porcelain, Limited, Numbered Edition Ornament categorized under Angels and Religious, with a current gallery price of $48.
Story Behind the Artwork
The composition brings together two familiar parts of the Christmas story: Mary with the infant Jesus and the heavenly celebration associated with Christ’s birth.
Rather than constructing a detailed stable scene with shepherds, animals, architecture, and landscape, Moss concentrates almost entirely on the figures. Mary and Jesus occupy the center while the surrounding angels create a layered celestial presence.
That visual economy gives the ornament a devotional character. The viewer’s attention remains on mother, child, and angels rather than on the larger setting of Bethlehem.
The Gospel of Luke describes an angel announcing Christ’s birth to shepherds, followed by a multitude of the heavenly host praising God. Over centuries, Christian artists incorporated angels directly into Nativity imagery, bringing different moments of the biblical narrative together within a single composition.
Symbols & Meaning
Angels are the dominant symbolic element. Within Christian tradition, angels serve as messengers and appear prominently in the Gospel account surrounding Jesus’ birth.
The infant held closely by Mary establishes the Nativity subject immediately, while the encircling arrangement of the angels can suggest praise, reverence, and protection. Those latter meanings are visual interpretations rather than documented statements of Moss’s specific intention.
The gold outline also contributes visually to the sacred character of the ornament, framing the image without requiring additional decorative elements.
Artistic Details
One of the ornament’s strongest qualities is the upward flow of the composition. Mary’s white garment creates a bright central column, while the blue robes and pale wings of the angels rise around her.
Moss uses a restrained palette rather than conventional bright Christmas red and green. Soft blue dominates, balanced by cream, beige, white, and small touches of gold. This gives the ornament a quieter visual character particularly suited to sacred Christmas decorating.
The irregular teardrop silhouette distinguishes it from a conventional round ornament and reinforces the vertical movement of the angelic figures.
Featured Master Collections
Primary Master Collection: Christmas Traditions
And There Were Angels is explicitly included on Canada Goose Gallery’s curator-approved Christmas Traditions list. The Collection specifically identifies Angels and Nativity among its core subjects, making the assignment especially strong.
Supporting Master Collection: Faith That Endures
The ornament also has a direct relationship with Faith That Endures, whose approved subjects include angels, Christmas, worship, sacred traditions, hope, grace, and spiritual reflection.
Together, these two Collections accurately distinguish the ornament’s roles: Christmas Traditions identifies its seasonal Nativity story, while Faith That Endures reflects its devotional and explicitly religious content.
Decorating Ideas
And There Were Angels Ornament can serve as a faith-centered focal point on a Christmas tree, particularly when grouped with other Nativity and angel ornaments rather than mixed randomly throughout a larger display.
Its soft blue, cream, white, and gold palette also works well with traditional, elegant, or neutral Christmas décor.
Because the ornament is boxed, it may also be stored and brought out as part of an annual family Christmas tradition. If displayed off the tree, use an appropriate ornament stand or small easel only when the product is securely supported.
Gift Ideas
This ornament is particularly well suited for a faith-centered Christmas gift. It may also be meaningful for a pastor, church musician, Sunday school teacher, godparent, new parent, or someone assembling a Nativity-themed ornament collection.
For collectors who enjoy coordinated Christmas pieces, its relationship with A Child Is Born Ornament, O Holy Night Ornament, and A Star To Guide Them Ornament makes it especially useful as part of a larger sacred holiday display.
About the Edition
Title: And There Were Angels Ornament
Artist: P. Buckley Moss
Year: 2007
Format: Porcelain Ornament
Edition: Limited, Numbered Edition
Image size: 4-1/8 × 2-3/4 inches
Condition: New, Mint
Presentation: Boxed
Documentation: Artist’s certificate supplied
Current CGG price: $48
Canada Goose Gallery’s approved inventory independently verifies Product ID 1823, the porcelain ornament format, limited and numbered edition designation, Angels/Religious classification, and current $48 price.
👼 Fun Fact:
In Luke’s Christmas account, the angels do not first appear gathered around Mary and the infant Jesus. An angel announces the birth to shepherds in the fields and is then joined by a heavenly host praising God. Artists later brought angels directly into Nativity compositions, sometimes combining events that occur separately in the biblical narrative into one devotional image. That long artistic tradition helps explain why angels surrounding the Christ child have become such a familiar part of Christmas imagery.
🖼️ Collector’s Insight:
What distinguishes And There Were Angels Ornament is how much of the Nativity story Moss communicates without a traditional stable setting. Mary and the child form the bright center while the angels rise around them in overlapping blue robes and pale wings, making the celestial figures themselves the setting. The narrow porcelain format strengthens that upward movement, while its quiet blue, cream, and gold palette differentiates it from more colorful secular Christmas ornaments. For collectors, it is especially effective when grouped with other Moss Nativity ornaments because each design can contribute a different chapter of the Christmas story.
Why Buy from Canada Goose Gallery
Canada Goose Gallery in Waynesville, Ohio maintains a substantial documented inventory of limited-edition P. Buckley Moss porcelain ornaments. And There Were Angels Ornament is offered in New, Mint condition, boxed, with the supplied artist’s certificate.
Continue Exploring
For collectors building a Nativity and Faith Christmas ornament grouping, these are the strongest related pieces currently documented in Canada Goose Gallery inventory:
A Child Is Born Ornament — $48. A porcelain, limited, numbered edition categorized under Angels, Animal, and Religious.
A Child Is Born Ornament
A Star To Guide Them Ornament — $45. A porcelain, limited, numbered edition categorized under Angels, Animal, Christmas, and Religious.
A Star To Guide Them Ornament
O Holy Night Ornament — $45. A porcelain, limited, numbered edition categorized under Angels, Christmas, and Religious.
O Holy Night Ornament
Angelic Adoration Ornament — $48. A porcelain, limited, numbered edition categorized under Angels, Christmas, and Religious, making it another strong faith-centered companion.
Alleluia Ornament — $42. A porcelain, limited, numbered edition with Church, Horse, and Christmas subjects for collectors extending the grouping from Nativity imagery into worship and sacred Christmas tradition.
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“Surrounded by grace.”
“Grace came quietly.”
“A season of faith and light.”
