Article
MDVccards: Images of the Virgin Mary in the Middle Ages
Mary, the mother of Jesus, held a special status for medieval Christians, who believed that she could advocate for salvation on behalf of those who asked for her help. The many churches and cathedrals constructed in the Middle Ages dedicated to Our Lady (Notre Dame) attest to her popularity. Images of Mary, created for use in church rituals or for private, individual prayer, served as focal points for devotion.
A type of twelfth-century sculpture made in France, the Sedes Sapientiae, or Throne of Wisdom epicts the Virgin as a throne for her son, a concept that is reinforced by the rigid stylization of the figures and their static poses. These depictions emphasize her role as a vessel that carried the Christ Child, and as the divine mother through whom the word of God was made flesh. This statue would have been kept on the altar both for use in the mass and for private devotion. It also would have been moved around the church interior and carried outdoors in religious processions. Beginning in the mid-thirteenth century, artists created more dynamic images of the Virgin and the Christ Child [y1955-3269]. Mary‚—no longer static and frontal‚—twists her body in a gentle S-curve toward her son and acknowledges his presence. This seemingly naturalistic pose is found in both monumental sculpture and small-scale figurines, like the ivory statuette [y1947-320] where the relationship between a mother and her child is emphasized. Mary lovingly caresses her son and he turns to reach for her.
Similarities of pose and style suggest that sculptors and artisans from across Europe were inspired by certain well- known types like the so-called Vierge dorée (Golden Virgin), a thirteenth-century statue located on the exterior of Amiens Cathedral. The clergy and townspeople of Amiens believed that the statue was a particularly effective focal point for prayer. Through- out France, beginning in the second half of the thirteenth century, sculptors and their patrons chose to copy this powerful model for their own devotional objects. The carving of the fourteenth-century Virgin and Child [y1955-3269] suggests the influence of the Vierge dorée in the deep folds of drapery that cascade from her left hip.
The interest in copying popular models gave way in the late-fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to experimentation with new depictions to directly engage the viewer. At eye level, this three-quarter length figure of the Virgin and Child [y1954-73] appears bent-over and twisted toward the left; her eyes seem half-closed. When viewed from below, however, the Virgin looks directly at and leans out toward the viewer, indicating that the figure was originally placed above eye level, perhaps on an altar. The artist seems to have taken this vantage point into account when creating the pose. Late- medieval sculptors also pioneered novel forms of representation and new subjects, like the Pietà, that were intended to evoke emotional, even visceral reactions. Paint on the fifteenth-century Pietà [y1956-114] mimics the blood dripping from Christ's wounds and highlights his emaciated body. This brutal naturalism was intended to heighten the worshiper's identification with Mary's sorrow over the loss of her child as well as the physical suffering of Christ, thereby strengthening the viewer's own personal faith.
A type of twelfth-century sculpture made in France, the Sedes Sapientiae, or Throne of Wisdom epicts the Virgin as a throne for her son, a concept that is reinforced by the rigid stylization of the figures and their static poses. These depictions emphasize her role as a vessel that carried the Christ Child, and as the divine mother through whom the word of God was made flesh. This statue would have been kept on the altar both for use in the mass and for private devotion. It also would have been moved around the church interior and carried outdoors in religious processions. Beginning in the mid-thirteenth century, artists created more dynamic images of the Virgin and the Christ Child [y1955-3269]. Mary‚—no longer static and frontal‚—twists her body in a gentle S-curve toward her son and acknowledges his presence. This seemingly naturalistic pose is found in both monumental sculpture and small-scale figurines, like the ivory statuette [y1947-320] where the relationship between a mother and her child is emphasized. Mary lovingly caresses her son and he turns to reach for her.
Similarities of pose and style suggest that sculptors and artisans from across Europe were inspired by certain well- known types like the so-called Vierge dorée (Golden Virgin), a thirteenth-century statue located on the exterior of Amiens Cathedral. The clergy and townspeople of Amiens believed that the statue was a particularly effective focal point for prayer. Through- out France, beginning in the second half of the thirteenth century, sculptors and their patrons chose to copy this powerful model for their own devotional objects. The carving of the fourteenth-century Virgin and Child [y1955-3269] suggests the influence of the Vierge dorée in the deep folds of drapery that cascade from her left hip.
The interest in copying popular models gave way in the late-fourteenth and fifteenth centuries to experimentation with new depictions to directly engage the viewer. At eye level, this three-quarter length figure of the Virgin and Child [y1954-73] appears bent-over and twisted toward the left; her eyes seem half-closed. When viewed from below, however, the Virgin looks directly at and leans out toward the viewer, indicating that the figure was originally placed above eye level, perhaps on an altar. The artist seems to have taken this vantage point into account when creating the pose. Late- medieval sculptors also pioneered novel forms of representation and new subjects, like the Pietà, that were intended to evoke emotional, even visceral reactions. Paint on the fifteenth-century Pietà [y1956-114] mimics the blood dripping from Christ's wounds and highlights his emaciated body. This brutal naturalism was intended to heighten the worshiper's identification with Mary's sorrow over the loss of her child as well as the physical suffering of Christ, thereby strengthening the viewer's own personal faith.
