This beautiful painting of the Virgin Mary is part of the Ghent Altarpiece created by the well-known Flemish painter, Jan Van Eyck, in 1432. Rich in exquisite color and detail, the painting shows Mary holding a girdle book and represents her attribution as the "Seat of Wisdom." Girdle books were popular between the 13th and 16th centuries and worn as accessories. A long piece of leather hanging from the book made it possible to secure the book to a garment by means of looping it over the girdle belt. It was then easy to pick up the book and read it whenever the desire hit the owner. Girdle books were popular among monks, clergymen, and aristocrats. Here, Mary is portrayed as an aristocratic woman and represents her role as "Queen of Heaven."
May we all benefit from Mary's wisdom, love, peace, and motherly protection!
Dawn Pisturino
January 20, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment