ART AND DEVOTION
A Shrine of the Virgin Mother of God Dr Caroline Farey looks at a remarkable oak carving made around 1300 and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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his little statue of carved wood, standing just under 14 inches high, is both typical and exceptional. It is typical in its outward appearance, which is delicate and reverential. Statues and paintings of the Blessed Virgin Mother, crowned as Queen of Heaven and breast-feeding, ‘giving milk’ (Lactans) to her child, were not uncommon. This is a natural gesture, very discreetly portrayed here, which also carries a strong theological message. On earth, Mary nurtures the Christchild and, as Queen of Heaven, she continues to nurture the members of the body of Christ, the Church through her intercession.1 St Ephraem, a deacon of the Church at Edessa in the fourth century, had already written hymns on a similar theme, that as Mary nourishes Jesus for his earthly life so Jesus nourishes the world with his divine life.
The High One became as a little child, … Most High, yet He sucked the milk of Mary, and of His goodness all creatures suck! … When He sucked the milk of Mary, He was suckling all with Life’. 2 On close observation we can see several other elements to support this mystical exchange. Notice that both the Blessed Mother and her son are dressed identically, in gold, with a rich decoration at the neckline and hem: they belong to each other. Mary as queen, which always links to the kingship of Christ, is seated on a throne with trefoil decoration (three petalled foliage), symbol of the Trinity. Notice too, that Jesus is carrying a bird in his left hand. Art historians give three different meanings to this. A bird can be a symbol of the Resurrection (like a soul flying upwards into the heavens)
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‘Blessed be He Who dwelt in the womb, and wrought therein a perfect Temple, that He might dwell in it, a Throne that He might be in it, a Garment that He might be arrayed in it, and a Weapon that He might conquer in it.’ Hymn 1. Mary’s womb is already ‘a perfect Temple’, which is a place of pure sacrifice; it is already a ‘throne’, as the cross is, and Jesus’ human nature of body and soul, is formed in Mary’s womb as the ‘garment’ and the ‘weapon’ for conquering Satan and destroying the sins of mankind.
or the Passion. A legend speaks of a bird, such as a goldfinch or robin, getting the red colouring on its breast from plucking out a thorn from Christ’s crown and being stained by Christ’s blood ever after. A third reason is as a symbol of protection from plagues. An Altarpiece Exceptionally, this statue could be opened and placed on an altar before which a priest would celebrate Holy Mass. For this, a priest must have a crucifix or crucifixion scene in front of him, and such a scene is seen here prominently in the centre. Today, the figures of Christ and the Holy Spirit have been removed and lost. Only the pin holes remain where the separate figures would have been fixed. Here, as well as the crucifix, the priest would find himself facing a rich array of other images spread out before him to strengthen him in his eucharistic faith. It may seem strange to set such a scene inside a statue of Mary, but again let us hear St Ephraem:
The Mercy Seat The crucifixion scene portrayed here is called the ‘Mercy Seat’ Trinity, that is, God the Father holds the wood of the cross on which his Son’s blood was shed, as on the Mercy Seat of the Arc of the Covenant (Ex25:21-22), where God made his mercy available for the forgiveness of sins when sprinkled with the blood of the sacrifice. Just as the Arc of the Covenant was made of wood covered in gold, so too, this whole statue of Mary on the outside, and the Blessed Trinity on the inside, are of wood covered in the same gold and identically decorated. Christ ‘bowed his head and gave up his Spirit’(Jn 19:30), the Spirit who would have been seen on the Father’s chest just above the precious head of Jesus, which would have lain against the circle with a cross on it, which sits at the centre of the arms of the crossbeam, looking like the sacred host. The Annunciation and Visitation A pair of simple scenes, each of two people and each fitting perfectly in the highest of the three registers on either side, remind us of the Eucharistic Jesus. At the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel
AUTUMN 2020
