medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Here is one answer on Marian blue. It is from The Mary Page at the
International Marian Research Institute, here at the University of Dayton:
<http://www.udayton.edu/mary/questions/faq/faq12.html>.
Why does Mary always wear light blue?
Well, she doesn't.
"The older, classic and more representative color is dark blue," according
to the Rev. Johann Roten, S.M, director of the Marian Library-International
Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton. "Mary's dark blue
mantle, from about 500 A.D., is of Byzantine origin and is the color of an
empress."
Blue has stayed in vogue, but red has also become a prominent color for
Mary as represented by artists since the 10th century. Blue calls to mind
the color of the skies (which is not only limited to light blue), and red
is the color of kings, Roten says. "However, there are a great variety of
blues and other colors for Mary," he says. "For example, Flemish painters
prefer blue, while German painters have a preference for red."
Regarding Mary represented with a red mantle:
As to the red mantle worn by Our Lady -- this isn't so rare either. Rogier
van der Weyden, Hans Memling, Lucas Cranach, Geertgen tot sin Jans, Jan van
Eyck but also sometimes Eastern iconography (mosaic, Chora monastery, 14th
c) shows Mary cloaked in a red mantle. True, the classical tradition shows
her with a red robe and a blue mantle as for example almost all Raphael
Madonnas and those inspired by Raphael (Nazarenes). The red color in
iconography points (early on) to nobility and elevated state, and conveys
sometimes in northern Renaissance, in particular, an anticipation of
suffering and passion, especially when related to the devotion of the heart
as seems to be the case with the Christ image.
Marian artist Beverly Stoller works from her "Theotokos" art studio in
Fairfield, Conn. She says a recent interest in iconography has led her to
discover a new color scheme for Mary, based on historical representation in
icons. Icons of Mary often show her wearing a greenish-blue inner garment
with a red outer garment, Stoller says.
Maureen A. Tilley
Coordinator of Undergraduate Studies
President, North American Patristics Society
University of Dayton, Department of Religious Studies
Dayton, OH 45469-1530
(937) 229-4564
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