medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
No need to be gobsmacked, Frank. The earliest surviving icon of the Theotokos, in the
collection of the monastery at Mt Sinai and dating from the late 6th or early 7th century, has
her dressed in blue. From at least the 13th century, ultramarine, made of crushed lapis lazuli
which had to be imported from Afghanistan, was a preferred pigment for the Virgin's mantle
in Europe. Its cost, and gorgeous colour, assured both its status and its use for paintings of
the Virgin, although not exclusively. Red was often used, as well. For a more complete
rundown, you might consult Michel Pastoureau's delightfully titled book, Blue: The History of
a Colour, the cover of which shows the Virgin and Child surrounded by angels, all dressed in
blue, from the late 14th-century Wilton Diptych.
Cheers,
Jim Bugslag
On 1 Dec 2007 at 14:01, Frank Morgret wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
> culture
>
> Bonjour, eh?
>
> I read today that the use of the colour blue to designate the Virgin
> Mary is of recent invention. I'm gobsmacked! That is not what our
> lovely provincial flag or the ubiquitous statues of the Virgin here in
> ville de Québec suggest. I thought this practice could be traced back
> to the middle ages. A quick review of artwork on Google seems to
> suggest there is some substantiation for my belief. Will someone
> either reassure me or else gobsmack me out of my misery?
>
> Many thanks!
>
>
> Frank
>
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