The Virgin and Child Enthroned by Margarito d’Arezzo (1262 )
A few weeks ago I took the opportunity to visit the National Gallery in London to revisit its permanent collection . It must be well over fifteen years since I last explored the gallery. I enjoyed seeing some of the works I have loved on previous visits like Leonardos cartoon and the Rembrandt self portraits. However there were a few works that had not registered with me on previous visits . One of these was the Virgin and Child Enthroned by Margarito d’Arezzo (1262 ) remarkably its actually the oldest picture in the National Gallery’s collection. I must say it was the work that really made the visit worthwhile over 750 years old and it still has the power to astonish
It shows the Virgin Mary, seated on a throne with the Christ Child on her lap, within a mandorla (an almond-shaped enclosure). Around them are eight scenes of the lives of various saints; two show Saint John the Evangelist and two show Saint Nicholas.
In Byzantine art when the Virgin is shown in this frontal pose she is known as the Theotokos (‘Mother of God’). This pose and the inclusion of the throne also reflects a tradition of sculpted images of the Virgin and Child in the West, known as the Mary maiestas (‘Mary of Majesty’), which emphasised her rank and status as the mother of God.It seems most likely that the picture was made for a church dedicated to either Saint John the Evangelist or Saint Nicholas, possibly the church of Saint Nicholas in Arezzo.
This was taken on my Iphone.
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT TO MY STREAM.
I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD NOT FAVE A PHOTO
WITHOUT ALSO LEAVING A COMMENT
The Virgin and Child Enthroned by Margarito d’Arezzo (1262 )
A few weeks ago I took the opportunity to visit the National Gallery in London to revisit its permanent collection . It must be well over fifteen years since I last explored the gallery. I enjoyed seeing some of the works I have loved on previous visits like Leonardos cartoon and the Rembrandt self portraits. However there were a few works that had not registered with me on previous visits . One of these was the Virgin and Child Enthroned by Margarito d’Arezzo (1262 ) remarkably its actually the oldest picture in the National Gallery’s collection. I must say it was the work that really made the visit worthwhile over 750 years old and it still has the power to astonish
It shows the Virgin Mary, seated on a throne with the Christ Child on her lap, within a mandorla (an almond-shaped enclosure). Around them are eight scenes of the lives of various saints; two show Saint John the Evangelist and two show Saint Nicholas.
In Byzantine art when the Virgin is shown in this frontal pose she is known as the Theotokos (‘Mother of God’). This pose and the inclusion of the throne also reflects a tradition of sculpted images of the Virgin and Child in the West, known as the Mary maiestas (‘Mary of Majesty’), which emphasised her rank and status as the mother of God.It seems most likely that the picture was made for a church dedicated to either Saint John the Evangelist or Saint Nicholas, possibly the church of Saint Nicholas in Arezzo.
This was taken on my Iphone.
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT TO MY STREAM.
I WOULD BE VERY GRATEFUL IF YOU COULD NOT FAVE A PHOTO
WITHOUT ALSO LEAVING A COMMENT