From the Middle Ages to modern times · Mother, intercessor and queen

Announced, mother of the Child, present at the Passion or crowned in heaven, Mary crosses the centuries changing scale, gesture and pictorial language.

The Virgin Mary is one of the most represented figures in the history of Western and Christian art. Its iconography is built from the Gospels, apocryphal texts, liturgy and theological traditions developed over the centuries. The medieval Maestà affirms its dignity as a living throne for the Child; the Annunciation depicts the acceptance of the Incarnation; the Virgin and Child explores tenderness, foreknowledge and protection; the Pietà confronts motherhood with the death of Christ; the Assumption and the Coronation celebrate its glorification. Lily, enclosed garden, star, moon, rose, book or veil enrich these images without having the same meaning everywhere. This collection so do not tell a single Mary: it allows us to follow the transformation of a religious presence according to times, places, commands and devotional practices. The "Virgin Mary" selection notably compares 3 scenes from the life of Saint John the Evangelist; 3 scenes from the life of the Virgin (triptych, exterior left panel) and Virgin and Child in majesty with Saint Leonardo and Saint Peter and scenes from the life of Saint Peter. His reading favors composition.

Each era recognizes Mary, but each reinvents the distance between the woman, the mother and the celestial figure.