Titles of Mary - Descriptive Titles of Mary Related To Visual Arts

Descriptive Titles of Mary Related To Visual Arts

Image Type Typical Art Style Description

Hodegetria
"She Who Shows the Way"

 Byzantine Mary holds Christ in her left hand and with her right hand she "shows the way" by pointing to Him;

Sedes Sapientiae
"Throne of Wisdom"

 Romanesque Christ is seated in His mother Mary's lap, symbolically the "Throne of Wisdom";

"Gothic Madonna"

 Gothic Based loosely on Byzantine Hodegetria iconography; typically depicts a standing, smiling Mary and playful Christ Child; considered one of the earliest depictions of Mary that is strictly Western;

Madonna Lactans
"Our Lady Nursing"

 Renaissance, and others The Virgin is depicted breastfeeding the Holy Infant. One of the earliest depictions (if not the earliest depiction) of Mary, is Our Lady nursing, as painted in the Priscilla Catacombs ca. A.D. 250;

Mater Misericordiae
"Mother of Mercy"

 Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque A regal, celestial Mary is depicted covering the faithful in her protective mantle; first arose in the late 13th century in Central Europe and Italy; depiction is commonly associated with plague monuments.

Maestà
"Majesty"
of the Virgo Deipara
"Virgin God-bearer"

 Gothic Mary is seated in majesty, holding the Christ Child; based on Byzantine Nikopoia iconography;

Pietà
"Pity"
of the Mater Dolorosa
"Mother of Sorrows"

 Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque Mary cradles the dead body of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion; this type emerged first in the 13th century in Germany as an Andachtsbild or devotional icon relating to grief; Italian Pietàs appeared in the 14th century; Michelangelo's Pietà (1498–1499) is considered a masterpiece;

Mater Amabilis
"Loving Mother"
commonly, "Madonna and Child"

 Renaissance, Baroque Iconic Western depiction with many variations; based loosely on Byzantine Glykophilousa ("sweet kisses") iconography; Mary turns her gaze away from the Christ Child as she contemplates His future Passion; Renaissance emphasis on classical ideal types, realistic human anatomy, and linear perspective are evident;

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