Roman Catholic Marian art

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Throughout Roman Catholic history, the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary has led to the creation of numerous items of Roman Catholic Marian art. Although these items may at times be viewed from an artistic perspective and sold at auctions, from a religious viewpoint they form part of the very fabric of Roman Catholic Mariology through their emotional impact on the process of venerating the Blessed Virgin.

The Virgin Mary has been one of the major subjects of Christian Art, Catholic Art and Western Art since the third century. Literally hundreds of thousands of artworks have been produced, from masters such as Michaelangelo and Botticelli to humble peasant artists.

The Earliest fresco of the Virgin Mary, in the Catacomb of Priscilla from the middle of the second century

Early veneration of the Blessed Virgin is documented in Roman Catacombs, where Christians were hiding in times of persecution and which became burial grounds after Christianity was accepted as a religion. In the catacombs paintings show the Blessed Virgin with her son. More unusual and indicating the burial ground of Saint Peter excavations in the crypt of St Peters disvoverd an very early fresco of Mary together with Saint Peter^[1] The Roman Priscilla catacombs depict the oldest Marian paintings from the middle of the second century ^[2] Mary is shown with a child on her lap, a standing man with tunic left hand a book right hand a star over his head symbol of messias Priscilla also has a medallion of the annunciation

After the edict of Milan in 313, Christian were permitted to worship openly. The veneration of Mary became public and Marian art flourished. By the time the Renaissance had concluded, Marian art was a major force in the development of artistic styles.

[edit] Marian art topics

Some of the leading Marian subjects include:

[edit] Gallery of Roman Catholic Marian paintings

Salus Populi Romano, one of the oldest icons in Rome	Madonna Della Strada Rome]]	Svanhild Evangeliary, an Illuminated manuscript from Essen, 1058-1085.	Thirteenth century Madonna with Child in the Italo-Byzantine style.
Black Madonna, Barcelona.	Agnolo Gaddi, Coronation of the Virgin, c. 1380	Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, Jan van Eyck, Burgundy, c. 1435	Madonna and Child 1440-45, Filippo Lippi 1440-1445
An unusual French Coronation by Enguerrand Quarton, 1454.	Madonna della tenda Rafael, approx 1500	Madonna del cardellino, Rafael, approx 1505	Magnificato by Sandro Botticelliapprox 1505
Assumption of the Virgin by Peter Paul Rubens, 1626	Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn unknown painter, Vilnius, Lithuania, 1630	Madonna from Holy Week procession in Seville	A nineteenth century painting of Our Lady, Star of the Sea