Madonna of the Rose Bower
Madonna of the Rose Bower (or Virgin in the Rose Bower) is a panel painting by the German artist Stefan Lochner, usually dated c 1440-42, although some art historians believe it contemporaneous with his later Dombild Altarpiece. It is usually seen as one of his finest and most closely detailed works.[1]
The Virgin is presented as "Queen of Heaven", and is seated under a canopy with red curtins held apart by angels. She sits on a red cut-velvey bolster, holding the Christ child in her lap.[2] Her crown and medallion are symbols of her virginity.[3] She wears a minutely detailed brooch, which contains a representation of a seated maiden holdig a unicorn.[4]
Christ holds an apple, while hovering and seated angels offer gifts or play music. Five kneel in the grass before her, with instruments including a portable organ, others bear fruit.
The painting is heavily infused with symbols of innocence and purity, including the red and white roses.[5] Mary sits before a curved stone bench, around which grow lilies, daisies and strawberries, with an acanthus flower blooming to her left. Mary herself is presented on a monemental scale, underscoring her regal status.[2]
Notes
- ↑ Chapuis, 274
- 1 2 Chapuis, 88
- ↑ Wellesz, 8
- ↑ Chapuis, 89
- ↑ "Madonna of the Rose Bower, c. 1440 – 1442". Wallraf-Richartz Museum. Retrieved 26 April 2015
Sources
- Chapuis, Julien. Stefan Lochner: Image Making in Fifteenth-Century Cologne. Turnhout: Brepols, 2004. ISBN 978-2-5035-0567-1
- Wellesz, Emmy; Rothenstein, John (ed). Stephan Lochner. London: Fratelli Fabbri, 1963
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