> Do any of the learned members of this list know of any other "left-handed"
> BVMs and do you have any idea why the supporting left arm is common for a
> Virgin and Child but not for a Vesperbild?
>
> John Hall
> [log in to unmask]
Dear John,
That the Virgin usually supported the Christ Child on her left arm is
very probably a reflection of the icon known as the Theotokos
Hodegetria, which served as the palladium of Constantinople and was
thought to have been painted by St Luke. In this image, the
Virgin held the Christ Child with her left hand and pointed to
him with her right; "hodegetria", I believe, means something
like "indicator of the way". There were, and still are, innumerable
copies, which made a tremendous effect on the development of both
European panel painting in general and devotional subjects in
particular, from the 12th to the 14th centuries.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
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