The theme of the Conception of the Virgin Mary fascinated 16th-century Mannerist painters, as manifested in Giorgio Vasari＇s many drawings and paintings and also the numerous replicas in drawings, paintings, and engr...The theme of the Conception of the Virgin Mary fascinated 16th-century Mannerist painters, as manifested in Giorgio Vasari＇s many drawings and paintings and also the numerous replicas in drawings, paintings, and engravings made after his paintings by his contemporary artists. This essay focuses on Vasari＇s complex iconography of The Conception of Our Lady of 1540 at SS. Apostoli in Florence, Italy. In his documentation of the painting, Vasari never referred to or entitled the painting as an Allegory of the Immaculate Conception or Immaculate Conception but coined it as The Conception of Our Lady （Concezione di Nostra Donna） as it will be referred in this essay. Vasari＇s complex iconography derived from the writings of the A retine canon Giovanni Pollastra. The Virgin Mary is depicted as a victorious symbol of grace and salvation, triumphing over evil. Rejoicing angels surround her with scrolls containing Latin inscriptions, QUOS EVE CULPA DAAVIT/MARIAE GRATIAE SOLVIT, ECCE AGNIU[S] and UNIUS ONNOSTAA. These joyful words allude to the restoration of the fate of Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in Paradise. A sinuous serpent coils around the fig tree, while tied-up Old Testament and New Testaments wait for forgiveness and salvation. Three considerations are addressed in this essay： （1） discussion of Vasari＇s recorded commissions; （2） stylistic observations and influences; and （3） interpretation of the imagery, that is, some observations on the symbolism of the painting.展开更多
文摘The theme of the Conception of the Virgin Mary fascinated 16th-century Mannerist painters, as manifested in Giorgio Vasari＇s many drawings and paintings and also the numerous replicas in drawings, paintings, and engravings made after his paintings by his contemporary artists. This essay focuses on Vasari＇s complex iconography of The Conception of Our Lady of 1540 at SS. Apostoli in Florence, Italy. In his documentation of the painting, Vasari never referred to or entitled the painting as an Allegory of the Immaculate Conception or Immaculate Conception but coined it as The Conception of Our Lady （Concezione di Nostra Donna） as it will be referred in this essay. Vasari＇s complex iconography derived from the writings of the A retine canon Giovanni Pollastra. The Virgin Mary is depicted as a victorious symbol of grace and salvation, triumphing over evil. Rejoicing angels surround her with scrolls containing Latin inscriptions, QUOS EVE CULPA DAAVIT/MARIAE GRATIAE SOLVIT, ECCE AGNIU[S] and UNIUS ONNOSTAA. These joyful words allude to the restoration of the fate of Adam and Eve after eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in Paradise. A sinuous serpent coils around the fig tree, while tied-up Old Testament and New Testaments wait for forgiveness and salvation. Three considerations are addressed in this essay： （1） discussion of Vasari＇s recorded commissions; （2） stylistic observations and influences; and （3） interpretation of the imagery, that is, some observations on the symbolism of the painting.
