Legends of the Madonna, as represented in the fine artsForming the third series of Sacred and legendary art . tists have expressed this idea. When, insuch pictures, the locality is marked by the poor stable, or therough rocky cave, it becomes a temple full of religion, fullof glory, where angels are the ministers, the holy Virgin theworshipper, and Christ the Deity. Very few accessoriesare admitted, merely such as serve to denote that the subjectis a Nativity, properly so called, and not the Madre Pia, asalready described. The divine Infant lies in the centre of the picture, some-times on a wh
Legends of the Madonna, as represented in the fine artsForming the third series of Sacred and legendary art . tists have expressed this idea. When, insuch pictures, the locality is marked by the poor stable, or therough rocky cave, it becomes a temple full of religion, fullof glory, where angels are the ministers, the holy Virgin theworshipper, and Christ the Deity. Very few accessoriesare admitted, merely such as serve to denote that the subjectis a Nativity, properly so called, and not the Madre Pia, asalready described. The divine Infant lies in the centre of the picture, some-times on a white napkin, sometimes with no other bed thanthe flowery turf; sometimes his head rests on a wheat-sheaf,always here interpreted as the bread of life. He places his ante, p. 13C. THE NATIVITY. 217 finger on his lip, which expresses the Verhum sum^, lam the John, , or I am the bread of life,^ and fixes his eyes on theheavens above, where the angels are singing the Gloria inExcelsis, In one instance, I remember, an angel holds up thecross before him ; in another, he grasps it in his hand; or it is. 106 Lorenzo di Credi. a nail, or the crown of thorns, anticipative of his earthlydestiny. The Virgin kneels on one side ; St. Joseph, whenintroduced, kneels on the other; and frequently angels unitewith them in the act of adoration, or sustain the new-bornChild. In this poetical version of the subject, Lorenzo diCredi, Perugino, Francia, and Bellini, excelled all , in particular, became quite renowned for the manner Or, Vcre Verbum hoc est abhreviatum. F F ?^ Ego sum pnnis ille vitcc. 218 LEGENDS OF THE MADONNA. in which he treated it, and a number of beautiful compositionsfrom his hand exist in the Florentine and other galleries. There are instances in which attendant saints and votariesare introduced as beholding and adoring this great For instance, in a picture by Cima, Tobit and the angel areintroduced on one side, and St. Helena and St. Catherine
Size: 1593px × 1568px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectmaryblessedvirginsaint
