Who were Mary and Jesus?
How will this happen?
she asked Gabriel, an archangel messenger sent by God to tell her the news.
Im still a virgin!
The angel replied: The holy spirit will come upon you .
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Interior of Notre-Dame Cathedral (Photo:Stock Photosfrom little photographer/Shutterstock)
For that reason the holy one who is born from you will be called Gods Son.
Mary agreed to carry, birth, and raise Jesus.
This catacomb is celebrated for its age-old wall and ceiling paintings, including a collection inspired by the bible.
“The Virgin and Child (The Madonna of the Book)” by Sandro Botticelli (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
The Catacomb of Priscilla also likely features the earliest known portrayal of anangel in art history.
Together, these firsts make it among Christian art’s most significant sites.
Early Italian Renaissance
Filippo Lippi, Madonna With Child and Two Angels, ca.
“Virgin and Child with Balaam the Prophet” in the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome, late 2nd century (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
This approach ushered in theEarlyRenaissance, an enlightened age of art that lasted from 1400 until 1490.
High Renaissance
Raphael, Madonna of the Goldfinch.
Why would classic Christian figures feature in Indo-Islamic art?
Icon of the enthroned Virgin and Child with saints and angels in Saint Catherine’s Monastery, 6th century (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Modern and Contemporary Art
Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child (The Oval Mirror), ca.
At first glance, this charming piece looks like Cassatt’s many other maternal portraits.
What sets the painting apart, however, are some particularly discreet references.
Duccio, “Madonna and Child,” ca. 1300 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Filippo Lippi, “Madonna With Child and Two Angels,” ca. 1460-1465 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Jan van Eyck, “Madonna in the Church” 1438 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Raphael, “Madonna of the Goldfinch.” ca. 1505-1506 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
“Single Leaf of the Virgin and Child,” 1600-1625 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Madonna with Child,” 1899 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Mary Cassatt, “Mother and Child (The Oval Mirror),” ca. 1899 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia Commons)
Allan D’Arcangelo, “Madonna and Child,” 1963 (Photo:Wally Gobetz[CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])
