Abstract
The images of the Annunciation of the 14th and 15th centuries often include in their scene a bed with evident prominence, which allows us to conjecture that this piece of furniture contains some symbolism of particular relevance. Given such unusual detail, this article seeks to interpret the possible doctrinal meanings that this bed could provide. In this sense, twelve Annunciations of this period, which include a bed, are analyzed first with a personal interpretation that stands against some inadequate “interpretations” proposed by other modern authors. We will try to justify our interpretations based on an abundant corpus of texts through which many Latin Fathers and theologians see the thalamus concept as two complementary metaphors: a metaphor of God Son’s incarnation in Mary's womb, and also a metaphor of Mary’s virgin divine motherhood.
Highlights
Introduction2. Exploring the primary sources of Christian doctrine on thalamus Dei and other similar metaphors
The bed in images of the Annunciation (14th-15th centuries): An iconographic interpretation according to Latin Patristics1
The two complementary types of research undertaken on images and texts seem to be reliable enough bases to justify the following essential conclusions: 1. All the Latin Fathers, theologians and hymnographers studied above concord in interpreting the biblical expression “bed” or “bridal bedroom” as a symbol of the Virgin Mary and her virginal womb
Summary
The artistic representation of the event of the Annunciation to Mary experienced a significant evolution over the centuries, as evidenced by some iconographers, such as Manuel Trens (1947), Louis Réau (1957), Giuseppe Toscano (1961), Gertrud Schiller (1971), or Timothy Verdon (2004). During the first nine centuries of the Christian era, the depiction of this Marian episode was expressed according to a straightforward, stripped scene, usually reduced to the only presence of the two protagonists, the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, in static attitudes, cut out on an abstract neutral background, usually without any accessory. Others bring some arbitrary and undocumented “interpretations” on it Given such inexplicable silence and unjustified “interpretations” on the bed in the images of the Annunciation, we will address this problem in the current article through two complementary objectives: 1) First, and above all, to undertake an in-depth research in primary sources of Christian doctrine, to verify if, and to what extent and meaning, some Latin Church Fathers and theologians have doctrinally mentioned and interpreted some biblical expression referring metaphorically to a bed or other similar symbolic object; we should note here that in another article, we deal with offering an analogous set of exegetic glosses on the bed by Greek-Eastern Fathers.10 2) Based on our conceptual findings when analyzing Christian doctrinal texts, our second methodological objective is to examine some paintings of the Annunciation of the 14th and 15th centuries that include a bed, and eventually to highlight the silence and, in particular, some unacceptable “interpretations” which some art historians and iconographers had done on that bed. This first analysis of texts is structured in two complementary phases: first of all, the study of the writings of many Church Fathers and medieval theologians on the metaphors in question; second, the scrutiny of some medieval liturgical hymns
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