Virgin territory

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Portrayed in Christian art for centuries, Mary has had many meanings thrust upon her

This publication is the catalogue of an exhibition, which is on until 12 April 2015 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC. The exhibition  has been supported by the Vatican, which means that the catalogue includes a number of images of the Virgin Mary that are not normally seen in books. In particular there are a number of paintings by Orsola Maddalena Caccia (1596–1676), which are to be found in Padua and Mantua.  Clearly the support of the Vatican has enabled the exhibition organizers to cast widely in Italy to find images that support the general contention of the four essays that the Virgin Mary is a very important figure both theologically and within the art historical canon.

For anyone with a particular interest, therefore, in the Virgin Mary this is a useful and stimulating book. That said, in this modern era of intense religious conflict in many parts of the world, there are some ideas expressed in the four essays that might be considered quite controversial. All the female artists represented are treated with considerable respect in the discussions. They include Sofonisba Anguisola, Artemisia Gentileschi,  and Elisabetta Sirani. They are not, as often happens elsewhere, compared unfavourably with the male artists whose images have been chosen to represent a particular aspect of the Virgin Mary.

There are four essays: the first by Timothy Verdon, ‘Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea’ gives an outline of the theological background to the variety of images of the Virgin Mary. It is a useful essay but, as an essay, it necessarily covers a huge subject very briefly. For example the Reformation is alluded to in just a few lines.

The second essay by Miri Rubin,’ God-Bearer and Woman, Christian Traditions of Picturing Mary throughout History’ demonstrates how the image of Mary has developed alongside the historical and cultural events over the centuries. Again, reading this essay one feels that there is a need for greater detail to explain fully the developments discussed.

The third essay is by Amy G. Remensnyder, entitled ‘Warrior and Diplomat: Mary between Islam and Christianity’. It is this essay, which argues for Mary’s place in the Koran (in which she is mentioned more frequently than in the Bible) and in Islamic literature, which may cause some controversy but the essay’s argument is founded in fact and needs to be heard when there is discussion of links between Christianity and Islam. 

The fourth essay is by Melissa R. Katz, ‘Mary, the Mirror: Sacred Imagery and Secular Experience’, and gives a good overview of some of the more unusual images of Mary and of apparitions of the Virgin that have appeared more recently. All the essays are written with a consensus that the Virgin Mary is a very important person who should be valued and respected for the very powerful influence she has had over the centuries.

At the end of the book there is a good section of ‘Additional Reading’ and anyone inspired by this exhibition and book to learn more about the Virgin Mary will find several very useful books in the list.

The quality of the illustrations in this publication is very high and it is a joy to be able to study the images in detail with clear colours.  Overall this is a book which anyone with an interest in the subject will find useful. For those with a devotion to the Virgin Mary it is obviously a gem to treasure. For those with a feminist bent it is definitely a book from which to garner good arguments.

Picturing Mary, Woman, Mother, Idea by Timothy Verdon, Melissa R. Katz, Amy G. Remensnyder, Miri Rubin is published as the exhibition catalogue for ‘Picturing Mary, Woman, Mother, Idea’  by Scala Arts Publishers, Inc, New York & London, 2014 in association with National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington DC, USA with the logistical support of MondoMostre, Rome. 160 pp., 105 colour illus. ISBN: 978-1-85759-895-7