"Love follows knowledge."
"Beauty above all beauty!"
– St. Catherine of Siena

Friday, May 22, 2015

Faith Filled Friday: The Virgin Mary with Child Jesus in a Shirt

May is Mary's month, and I should post something in honor of the Blessed Mother.  How about this lovely 16th century painting by Ambrosius Benson, titled, The Virgin Mary with Child Jesus in a Shirt.




I love the face and the wavy hair that is both mirrored in the two subjects.  I love Mary's dress, and the general direction of the movement looking down, which I supposed implies a looking down toward humanity.  I wonder at the transparency of the shirt on the Child Jesus.  Does it suggest His dual nature of man and God?  If so, then does the darkly opaque dress on the Blessed Mother, which is in complete contrast, suggest her humanity?  Good questions.  Lovely painting.

If you want to know why May is Mary's month, read Kimberly Cook's blog at CatholicMom.

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