Handmaid of God: The Developing Social Class of the Virgin Mary

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document in English

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published 03/06/2008

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Summary

Although the Virgin Mary is depicted in the gospel text and other religious literature as primarily a humble “handmaid of God,” imagery in medieval representations of her tend to downplay that aspect of her personality. Instead, social class is what is most often emphasized, with the depiction of Mary’s superior social standing echoing that of the either the painter or the patron who commissioned the work. The royal, “Queen of Heaven” aspect of her personality becomes what is most important, while other characteristics such as humility fall by the wayside. This paper will address two such paintings by northern European artists in the 15th century: “The Merode Altarpeice” by Robert Campin and the “Washington Annunciation” by Jan van Eyck. Both of these are paintings of the Annunciation to the Virgin by Flemish painters around the same time period. Both depict the Virgin Mary at a social standing equal or greater to the level of the patrons – the audience has to be able to view her as socially higher than them in order for her to be respected. To add an extra level of analysis, these paintings will be compared not only to each other, but also to the 1898 “Annunciation” by African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner.

The story of Mary and the Annunciation of Christ's birth comes from Luke.
Mary's humility could be found in contemporary writings, as well.
It has been established that Mary's humility is her number one virtue, yet the question persists.
In Northern Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries there was a 'gradually increasing emphasis on Mary's humanity and circumstances of her domestic life.?
Jan van Eyck was a Flemish artist born in 1385.
Thus, van Eyck dresses her as royalty, diminishing her humble side in order to make his audience take her seriously.
The 'Merode Altarpiece' by Robert Campin shows the Annunciation as a vision viewed by the patrons of the painting.
Tanner started his career doing genre painting, which appealed only to the small portion of African-Americans who could afford to purchase his artwork.