Madonna of the Rose Garden

“Madonna of the Rose Garden” by Stefan Lochner – c. 1440This charming, colorful Madonna, painted in the early Renaissance by Stefan Lochner, is full of allegory and symbolism. Mary is seated on a red pillow on the ground, which shows her connection to this world and to us, but she is also under the heavenly golden brocade the angels are holding, which indicates her royalty and, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, her central association with the Trinity. The angels are playing music for Jesus and offering him flowers and fruits, many of them symbols of purity and innocence. Jesus is holding an apple, which of course refers to his role as the second Adam, undoing the curse of the first. If you look closely, Mary’s broach has a maiden holding a unicorn, another widely known symbol in the Middle Ages and Renaissance of purity and innocence. We like all these symbols. We like this representation of Mary. We like the rose bower behind her, with its symbolism of love, and—with thorns—of passion. We like the motif of Mary as the "hortus conclusus," the enclosed garden within the stone walls, one of the primary symbols of Mary in the Middle Ages. All in all, there is much to love about this picture besides its beauty. We find in it a calm and joyful meditation. Oil on panel, 51 x 40 cm. Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne.– 8.5 x 11" acid-free paper– Archival pigments, rated to last for generations.– Cardboard backer– Above story of the art– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag.** IMPORTANT ** There is about an inch-and-a-third of white space around the picture, so the image is smaller than the paper. If you would like us to frame it for you, please select a frame above. Thanks!Sue & John