Daer Bill,
The case has been made that this motif can be tentatively traced back to
Plutarch's 'Moralia' where the Lycian women make similar gestures. What I am
interested in is the 'hijacking' of this motif from the secular to the
religious sphere. Did this only occur after Arnold of Bonneval's reference
to the 'Iliad' example in the twelfth-century, or are there any antecedents
to this?
>From: Bill East <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re:
>Date: Sat, 6 May 2000 13:24:56 +0100 (BST)
>
>
>In my examination of the role of Mary I have come across a
> > very
> > interesting image of the Virgin exposing her breast to her Son on the
> > Day of
> > Judgement in an effort to convince him to have mercy upon humanity.
> > This act
> > of Christ's mother works and his anger abates. This image was known
> > on the
> > continent as Arnold Of Bonneval was one of the first to use it in the
> >
> > twelfth century. Interestingly, however, it has a Pagan origin, being
> > found
> > in the'Iliad' where Hecuba displays her breast to her son, Hector in
> > an
> > effort to persuade him not to fight Achilles. It also appears in a
> > similar
> > fashion in the hero tales of Gaelic Ireland. I am wondering whether
> > you can
> > provide me with any more information as to its appearance in the art
> > and/or
> > literature of medieval Europe. Thanking you, Salvador Ryan.
>
>Did Volumnia expose her breast to Coriolanus? I don't believe the
>detail is in Shakespeare, but is it in Plutarch?
>
>Oriens.
>
>
>
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