The decoration of the Amesbury Psalter, c.1250, is of immediate appeal because of its skilled execution
and the richness of its decoration. It is, moreover, interesting iconographically; the Madonna and Child page, which presents Mary as the Virgo lactans, appears to be the earliest representation of this type of Madonna which is of English provenance.
Although the Virgo lactans is the oldest image of Mary known to us, it has never been the popular image
of the Virgin as has been, for example, the representation
of the seated Hodegetria.
This essay traces the history of the Virgo lactans to the cult of Isis in Egypt, explores the image of Mary expressed in theological writings through the centuries, and examines popular concepts of the Virgin portrayed in vernacular literature, and the various ways in which the Madonna and Child theme has been visually presented.
While attempts to link the theological and/ or popular concepts of Mary, which obtained at a particular time and place, with specific images of
the Virgin, are sometimes erroneous, there are a few examples of the Virgo lactans of late Romanesque and early Gothic Europe which suggest that they were taken over from the Byzantine world because of a new religious atmosphere.
Evidence suggests that the appearance of the Madonna as the Virgo lactans in mid-thirteenth century England might have come about through the personality of Henry III whose piety seemed to be expressed frequently in the form of artistic representation.
Furthermore, his interest in the Priory of Amesbury, which has been well documented, might suggest that the so-called Sarum Master, who created the Amesbury Psalter, was one of the many artists employed by Henry, whose royal patronage of art has not been equalled in the annals of English history. / Arts, Faculty of / Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/19949 |
| Date | January 1976 |
| Creators | Nalos, Doreen |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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