The Virgin Mary

Pictures, Imformation and Links regarding The Virgin Mary

Ever since the early days of the Christian Church, Mary the mother of Jesus has been held in high esteem and reverence. Her image has inspired artists throughout the generations and pictures of her are found in most churches and the homes of Catholics.

She has inspired countless prayers, religious orders and acts of piety and charity.

Many Scholars find in her representations and the reverence with which she is regarded echhos of the ancient worship of the female principle in creation - the Goddess. Many Christians call her the 'Queen of Heaven' and 'the Mother of God', concepts that would have been foreign to Jesus and his disciples. However these universal qualities make her acessible to millions of the faithful and to many of no faith as her universal qualities of Love, Compassion and Forgiveness inspire hope in honest people around the world.

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Annunciation c. 1480. Now in Rijksmuseum Netherlands

The Annunciation

c. 1480. Now in Rijksmuseum Netherlands

Tilman Riemenschneider

Alabaster, occasional polychromy and gilt

Size: 39x40.5 cm

The group consists of two separate pieces, probably once part of a single domestic altar.

It depicts the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary: the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will have a child, the son of God.

Mary and Gabriel are depicted in a vivid and detailed manner.

These figures were made in around 1480 by Tilman Riemenschneider, one of the principal German sculptors of the Late Middle Ages.

He used an expensive material: Alabaster. Alabaster is a stone with an extremely fine structure.

It can be beautifully mottled or grained and is often slightly translucent.

The finely detailed alabaster is so beautiful that it was only painted intermittently to provide accentuation.