For Catholics, the month of May is associated with special devotions to the Virgin Mary and I have been waiting to share these beautiful Marian emblems I found a while back, painted in 1654 by Kaspar Meglinger. Melinger is perhaps more noted for his paintings of The Dance of Death, but these emblems -- all 361 of them painted on the paneled ceiling of Hergiswald church in the Luzern, Switzerland -- form a comprehensive and faith-filled meditation on the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The emblems are lovely and quite mysterious, combining imagery and a Latin motto, and inviting meditation and interpretation. I have presented four here (from left to right, top to bottom: "I Dread the Virgin's Foot," "The Stainless Mirror," "They Are Seeking the Light," and "She Tempers Wrath." The website features 12 of the emblems, along with suggested interpretations -- all of them fascinating.
And here is what they all look like on the ceiling of the church -- boy I would love to see a book with all of the emblems reproduced!
(via: Kaspar Meglinger)
UPDATE: See in the comments below from Mo Crow that links to the book of all the emblems and postcards pictured below. I am sending away for these today!
Midori Snyder is the author of nine books for children and adults, published in English, French, Dutch, and Italian. She won the Mythopoeic Award for The Innamorati, a novel inspired by early Roman myth and the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte" tradition....
