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The Virginity of the Virgin. A Study in Marian IconographyAnno: 2011Autore: Hodne Lasse Argomento: Iconografia Collana: Palindromos. Alla ricerca delle fontidell'arte antica, medievale e moderna ISBN: 978-88-6687-006-7 € 50,00
Autor: LaSSe HoDNe is professor of art history at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway, and has formerly been Vice Director at the Norwegian Institute in Rome. His main research interest is the iconography and iconology of Italian Medieval and Renaissance Art. Hodne’s other fields of research include biblical typology in art and the use of symmetry/ asymmetry in the Medieval picture cycle. Among his publications are a book on Marian iconography entitled Sponsus amat sponsam: L’unione mistica delle sante vergini con Dio nell’arte del medioevo (Rome: Bardi, 2007). Abstract: This book deals with aspects of Marian iconography related to the topic of virginity. In discussing familiar subjects like the Annunciation, the Marriage (or Betrothal) of the Virgin, the Birth of Christ, the Immaculate Conception, the Madonna del Parto and Maria Lactans, the book pays particular attention to the aspects that not only help recount the stories of the Gospels but also emphasise specific points of view regarding Mary’s perpetual virginity. Medieval man often sought concrete explanations to mysteries of faith like the Virgin Birth. For example, some people thought that Mary could maintain her intactness by conceiving and become pregnant through her ear. When ecclesiastical authorities declared that Mary, like Jesus, was born without sin, there was widespread conjecture, including among painters, about how this had occurred. The book discusses works of European art from the Paleochristian period to the Counter- Reformation, with particular emphasis on the period between the mid-12th century and the end of the 14th century. The book focuses on how ideas about Mary’s virginity were expressed through the representation of scenes from the Gospels or, indirectly, through allegories like the Hortus conclusus or the Porta caeli. The book seeks to delineate the processes of change behind the imagery, with special focus on periods of rapid cultural transformation, like that of the 12th century. During this time, metaphors associated with Mary’s sexual and marital status became laden with new connotations that altered their original meaning, shifting the attention away from the virtue of abstinence toward ‘intactness’ and virginity as values in themselves. Contents Introduction Mary, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Part 1 - Mary, expempt from sin Mary, “alter Eva” The Garden of Paradise ‘Hortus conclusus’ Mary, ‘Porta Caeli’ Part 2 - Mary and the royal lineage The Meeting at the Golden Gate The Immaculate Conception Anna Selbdritt The Family Tree of Jesus Part 3 - Mary ever-virgin The Marriage of the Virgin The Annunciation (Conception of Christ) Mary Conceives through the Word ‘Sicut sol vitrum non laedit’ Part 4 - Marian mysteries The Visitation: Mary’s meeting with Elisabeth Madonna del Parto The Birth of Christ ‘Maria Lactans’ Holy milk Part 5 – Mystic weddings and the spiritual union with god Brides of Christ and the Parable of the Ten Virgins Celestial Weddings and Virginal Fecundity The Celestial Reunion Mary’s girdle List of illustrations Bibliography Index |
