THE SPECIAL SYMBOLS OF THE VIRGIN IN THE ARTS

Seven of the ancient prophets who made special mention of the Incarnation: Moses, Aaron, Gideon, Daniel (11:45), Isaiah (v11:14), Ezekiel (XLIV:2), and David, who was also her ancestor.

Five women of the Old Testament, who are sometimes placed around her and were considered as types of the Virgin: Judith and Esther, for they delivered Israel; Ruth, the ancestress of David; Bathsheba and Abishag, both for reasons which must appear far-fetched to our modern minds.

The Virgin is also represented, betimes, as the Second Eve when she holds an APPLE in her hand, or if the Child Jesus is depicted eating it. A curious unattributed picture of the 14th century Italian School in the Louvre represents Eve, nude save for her long hair, lying prostrate before the throne of the Madonna and Child, around which stand saints and angels, while a serpent with a woman's face is spitting evil towards Eve's open mouth. Eve's head is surrounded by a nimbus with concave indentations all round its edge.

BIRDS symbolise the Soul, and for that reason are frequently put into the hand of the Child on His Mother's lap., e. g., Raphael's Madonna with the Goldfinch (Madonna del Cardellino).

A Book, when open, is that of wisdom, when it is held by the Virgin. A closed book is given to her in many Annunciations, in reference to the 29th chapter of the Book of Isaiah: "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed...

The CLOSED GATE; the ENCLOSED GARDEN (Canticles IV:1), so frequently found in Annunciations; the MIRROR in reference to a passage in the Book of Wisdom, vi1:26: "For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God... ... ;" are all symbolic of the Virgin Birth. A beautiful example of the use of the Enclosed Garden symbol is the Madonna worshipping Her Child, surrounded by angels, the whole group in a charming Renaissance garden, by Botticini-formerly attributed to Filippino Lippi-in the Pitti Palace in Florence.

The CEDAR OF LEBANON, on account of its height, and its healing qualities and the incorruptibility of its core, symbolises the grandeur, dignity, and bounty of Our Lady.

The DOVE is the Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, which hovers constantly above her; seven of them, the Seven Gifts of the Spirit.

The LILY, the Rosɛ, are again allusions to the Canticles: "I am the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley." The Rose is the special emblem of the Virgin, who is often depicted in or near a garden of roses. In an interesting votive Madonna and Child panel of the early German school, the Divine Group as well as a donor in a white surplice, and his

wife, and two angels, are all enclosed in an oval of small conventional roses, with five large ones representing the Wounds of Our Lord, the whole upheld by extremely naïve angels, one at each corner. The large rose at the summit is charged with a wounded heart.

The PEAR, the OLIVE, the Serpent, the PomeGRANATE, EARS OF WHEAT are all explained in Chapter III in their alphabetical place.

The SUN and the Moon refer to the passage in Revelation, quoted previously in regard to the Immaculate Conception, and also to a passage in the Canticles: "Fair as the Moon, Clear as the Sun" (Canticles vi:10). Also, from an early association with paganism and Diana, the crescent of the moon symbolises the Virgin's perpetual chastity.

The STAR is frequently placed upon the left shoulder of the Madonna's blue cloak, from an interpretation of her Hebrew name, Miriam, which can be translated as "Star of the Sea" (Stella Maris), but she is also the Morning Star, the Immovable Star, and the Star of Jacob. When she has twelve stars as a crown or halo, it is a reference to the Apocalyptic passage, previously mentioned, and perhaps, though to my mind the notion is far-fetched, to the Twelve Apostles.

A very beautiful half-length picture by Fra Angelico of the Madonna holding Her Child on her arm, belonging to Mrs. Benjamin Thaw, has a brilliant star on the right shoulder.

The "WELL OF LIVING WATERS" (Cant. IV:15), the "FOUNTAIN SEALED (Cant. IV:12), the "Tower OF DAVID" (Cant. IV:4), the "CITY OF JERUSALEM" (Cant. v:4) are frequently introduced into early pictures, and oftener still into illuminated missals and stained glass. The Fountain, the Enclosed Garden and the Cedar are all present in the beautiful Madonna and Child by Quentin Matsys in the Berlin Museum, and in the remarkable work of the same subject by Coninxloo in the Palermo Museum, while there is a charming rendering of the Enclosed Garden, in a Madonna and Saints with Donors, by the Master of the "Life of Mary," in the Berlin Museum, and, among Italian masters, the Madonna in Adoration by Botticini, previously mentioned, is a good example. (See also Plate XIV, Fig. 9.)

The ANGELS of which mention was made in the section dealing with the "Madonna Enthroned" are not simple accessories. They, like all other details in sacred pictures, have their meaning, relating to the fact that the Virgin was the Patroness of music and minstrelsy. In Nativities, the musician angels are singing the Gloria in excelsis; in Coronations, the Regina Cali; in pictures of the Madonna in trono, with donors, they are entoning the Salve Regina, Mater Misericordiae. In the type of Madonna and Child which we have classed as the Mater Amabilis, the loving mother, or those known as Pastoral Madonnas, the angels are chanting the Alma Mater Redemptoris. (See Plate XVIII.)

COLORS USED FOR THE GARMENTS OF THE VIRGIN MARY.

As stated at the end of Chapter III, the traditional colors of the Virgin, when she is not arrayed in white as in the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, or in purple as in a "Pietà" and the "Stabat Mater," are red and blue, the former for the tunic or dress, the latter for the cloak or mantle which covers it. But these rules are apparently like all others, made to be broken, for in many famous works we find the Madonna in other colors, or with the colors of her garments transposed. For instance, in the fine Madonna and Child by Jacopo Bellini in the Venice Accademia the Virgin is clad in an olive green cloak-of hope-held together at the neck by a gold and ruby brooch, while the Child wears a crimson dress, and is seated on a cushion of the same

THE VIRGIN AND CHILD, IN THE "ADORATION OF THE MAGI" BY JAN GOSSAERT, IN THE COLLECTION OF THE DUKE OF NORFOLK, IN WHICH THE MADONNA IS CLAD IN A BLUE INSTEAD OF A RED TUNIC

color, both embroidered with gold. The Virgin, of the Adoration of the Magi, by Jan Gossaert (Jan de Mabuse), in the Duke of Norfolk's collection at Castle Howard, wears a long and full blue cloak over a white undergarment, of which, however, only a tiny portion shows, at the neck. Memlinc's Madonna in Vienna is garbed in a blue tunic covered by a red mantle, as is the Virgin in the exquisite Nativity by Correggio at Dresden. The Holbein "Madonna of the Burgomaster Meyer" is dressed in a rich dark green costume with a flaming red girdle, and with golden yellow sleeves. She is crowned, without a veil. In Raphael's famous "Sistine Madonna" at Dresden, she wears the correct colors-as do all Raphael's Virgins, but has a flowing green scarf or veil on Her head. The same costume is worn by the Mother of Christ in a beautiful Annunciation by Francesco Cossa, also at Dresden. But in the great Carlo

Crivelli altarpiece in the Brera of Milan, she wears a richly-embroidered golden mantle, lined with green, over a tunic of brilliant crimson, and is crowned with gold over a white gauze veil.

CHAPTER VI

OF THE HEAVENLY HOSTS AND THEIR HIERARCHICAL RENDERING IN ART.

This is no place for a treatise on the origin of the belief in, and the worship of, the Angelic Hosts, for all the information required upon that bistorical subject may be obtained from the Encyclopædia Britannica-under "Angels"-or in the reference books listed at the end of this volume. In order to live up to our desire to be, above all things, of practical utility to those interested in the artistic representation of sacred subjects, we must confine our attention to the manner in which the angels have been depicted in art, rather than to the history of their interest for hero-worshipping mankind.

Suffice, then, to say that the Greek word ayyeλlos from which our English name is derived, simply means "Messenger," and it is in their generic role as Messengers of God that we meet the angels most frequently in art. We must, however, mention that angels are not the product of early Christian symbolism, but are mentioned throughout the Old Testament, from the very commencement of Genesis: So He drove out the Man, and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, CHERUBINS, and a flaming sword . . . (Gen. 111:24). In Isaiah, v1:2, we find: Above it stood the Seraphim: each one bad six wings; with twain be covered bis face; with twain be covered bis feet, and with twain did he fly. And in the Book of Daniel, x:13, there is a clear suggestion of hierarchic distinctions among the angels. But it is in the New Testament, naturally enough, that we find the most important reference to the Heavenly Hosts, in as far as regards the subject of this chapter: For by Him were all things created . . . whether they be THRONES or DOMINIONS or PRINCIPALITIES or POWERS. (Colossians 1:16.)

And so we come to the hierarchical classification of the angels, which is the accepted one, among the majority of the early writers, and exclusively as far as pictorial representation is concerned. It is attributed to a convert of St. Paul (Acts. xvII:34), a certain Dionysius the Areopagite, who lived in the second half of the first century, but it did not appear in book form until the 5th century, under the title of: De Hierarchia Celesta (Concerning Celestial Rank), in all probability based upon manuscripts left by the great Athenian philosopher.*

It is a common mistake to confuse St. Dionysius the Areopagite with St. Denis of France, and in art this confusion is almost universal. But historically it is generally conceded that the French theory is incorrect. Dionysius was a member

The accepted classification of the Heavenly Hosts of St. Dionysius the Areopagite is into nine choirs, composed of three main groups, each comprising three choirs, as follows:

A) COUNCILLORS OF GOD, having no direct contact with Mankind.

1) The Seraphim (from a Hebrew word meaning to burn), are the closest to God, and are shown as bodiless heads with six wings, the whole symbol colored a brilliant scarlet. The wings should be sprinkled with staring eyes (see Tetramorph, Plate VII). Later, the color of the Seraphim merged with that of the Cherubim, in order to form a more harmonious color scheme.

2) The Cherubim (from a Hebrew word meaning a chariot) come next to the Seraphim, and should possess six or four blue wings. They are not necessarily bodiless like the first choir-though they frequently are so depicted-and in illuminated MSS. and stained glass windows they often stand upon a wheel, having reference to the origin of the name.

3) The Thrones, who uphold the Seat of God, should be depicted either holding a miniature throne in their hands, or a fiery wheel covered with eyes. In the former case they are dressed as deacons.

These three choirs receive their glory directly from the Almighty, and transmit it to the next group.

B) GOVERNORS, whose mission is to regulate the movement of the spheres.

4) The Dominations, or Dominions, are shown with crowns, swords, and sceptres, or with an orb bearing a cross on it.

5) The Virtues, in complete plate-armor, with battle-axe, or crown and sceptre.

6) The Powers, who hold a scourge or a baton in their hands.

C) MESSENGERS OF GOD, who protect the great monarchies on earth, and who transmit to Man the rulings of the Almighty. 7) The Principalities, in a hauberk, or shirt of chain mail, and helmet, carrying a lance, with a pennon with a cross of St. George. They sometimes only carry a lily.

of that famous body, instituted as early as the seventh century before Christ, known as the Council of the Areopagus. In the year 51 A. D. Dionysius, with a large number of fellow-citizens of rank and learning, listened to those splendid impassioned words of St. Paul, recorded in Acts xvII:22-31, and became converted, eventually being appointed Bishop of Athens by the great Missionary Apostle. The Greeks state that he suffered martyrdom by being burnt alive at the stake. His day is Oct. 3rd. St. Denis of Paris, on the other hand, is celebrated Oct. 9th. He was a missionary in Gaul, and suffered martyrdom through decapitation, for which reason he is shown either holding his severed head in his hands, or holding another symbolic head on his Gospel. (See page 27.)

UPHOLD THE FLOOR OF HEAVEN. BELOW ARE ANGELS OF THE NINTH CHOIR.

(In the Collection of Mr. Philip Lehman)

pany of Heaven, with the saints, is introduced, in such pictures as those of "Paradise," or the "Last Judgment," or in a "Coronation of the Virgin." In an interesting rendering of the last great theme, by Jacobello del Fiore (c. 1370-1439) in the Venice Accademia, one can identify fairly distinctly the nine choirs, having the seven archangels grouped together in the upper left-hand corner, above SS. Peter and Paul. But, in general, the only clearly-indicated choirs are the first two and the last two.

Except in such occasional groups, only four of the seven Archangels, who should be clad in the full platearmor of a knight of feudal times, are ever represented in art, rarely more than three, and then they are never, with the exception of St. Michael, Prince