Reviewing my slides of wall paintings from medieval Denmark, I find that I
have a few questions concerning the images. I blundered into this mass of
material by accident after teaching chemical analysis for 30 years, so I am
not familiar with many of the standard iconographic interpretations.
I have three images where there is a line or beam of light between God and
the BVM in the Annunciation scene. In one of these the Dove of the Holy
Ghost is seen pulling a miniature Christ down the beam to the head of the
BVM. In the other, the image of Christ travels down the beam by it's self
In the third, there is only the line. There are four other images with this
feature in the medieval Danish provinces in Sweden. In another scene, the
Dove of the Holy Ghost is shown with the beak touching the head of the BVM.
My impression at the moment is that these images might be heretical. I think
that I have seen somewhere that the representation of the "incarnate" Christ
before the Nativity was against the teachings of the church.
Can anyone help me with this problem? Would the depiction of the Dove of the
Holy Ghost touching the head of the BVM also be "heretical"?
The second set of two images concern those in which the Annunciation is
shown with dogs hunting. I believe that there is the iconographic theme of
the "Hunt of the Unicorn", the search purity, referring to the BVM. In one
of these images the dogs are labeled Faith, Hope and Charity. There is one
image of this theme in Sweden.
Is the "Hunt of the Unicorn" a metaphor for the "search" for the BVM?
Grateful for any help. Jim
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