At 11:47 PM 9/18/2004 -0500, you wrote: >Many old paintings (of skill and sensitivity) depict a young woman holding >a nude Christ, with the baby wearing an adult-like face and making a >religious hand symbol.
Could you cite an example or two so I can see what you are talking about? There are certainly many paintings showing Mary and the infant Christ, sometimes with St. Joseph, St. Ann, et al.. Their popularity in the late Middle Ages has to do with interest in Mary and the incarnation and the promise of salvation, in contrast to earlier emphasis on Christ as Lord of All or Judge. It goes along with emphasis on Jesus' suffering on the cross; they all relate to the more human, emotional side of the Christian story. Jesus was born as a babe, just like us; Jesus suffered temptation and pain, just like us. The musicians seen in this genre are typically those of the bas or soft consort, like lute and harp, representing the quiet intimacy of the family setting (and drawing the viewer therein). Caroline ********************************* Caroline Usher DCMB Administrative Coordinator 613-8155 Box 91000 To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
