Mater Pulchrae Dilectionis (Mother of Fair Love)

Resource added
Sepia-toned reproduction of Mary praying by bed of sleeping child Jesus. Above her a woman approaches a group of soldiers. Two figures at upper left.
Theodoor Galle (Flemish, 1571–1633)

ca. 1607. Emblem 5 from Jan David, S.J., Pancarpium Marianum septemplici titulorum serie distinctum: ut in B. Virginis odorem curramus, et Christus formetur in nobis. (Marian Garland Divided into a Sevenfold Series of Titles, in order that We May Hasten toward the Fragrance of the Blessed Virgin and Christ Be Formed within Us). Antwerp: Ex officina Platiniana apud Joannem Morteum (Plantin Publishing House under the Supervision of Jan Moretus), 1607; reprint ed., 1617. Engraving, 20 cm. Private Collection.

Full description

In the foreground, Mary prays at the bedside of the sleeping boy Jesus, whose coverlet is strewn with flowers. In the background, the biblical heroine Judith kneels before the Assyrian general Holofernes. Farther in the background, Amnon, the son of David, lies on his sickbed, feigning illness, while Thamar, sister of Absalom, sits by the hearth and prepares a meal for him.

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    Theodoor Galle (Flemish, 1571–1633)
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    07