Madonna

myminifactory

Human: A representation of Mary is a Madonna, either alone or with her child Jesus. These images are central icons for both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The word 'Madonna' comes from Italian 'ma donna', meaning 'my lady'. The Madonna and Child type is very prevalent in Christian iconography, divided into many traditional subtypes especially in Eastern Orthodox iconography. This is often known after the location of a notable icon of the type, such as the Theotokos of Vladimir, Agiosoritissa, Blachernitissa, etc., or descriptive of the depicted posture, as in Hodegetria, Eleusa, etc. The term 'Madonna' enters English usage in the 17th century, primarily in reference to works of the Italian Renaissance. In an Eastern Orthodox context, such images are typically known as Theotokos. A Madonna is a representation of Mary with or without the infant Jesus, who is the focus and central figure of the image. This may be flanked or surrounded by angels or saints. Other types of Marian imagery have a narrative context, depicting scenes from the Life of the Virgin, e.g. the Annunciation to Mary, which are not typically called 'Madonna'. The earliest depictions of Mary date back to Early Christianity (2nd to 3rd centuries), found in the Catacombs of Rome. These are in a narrative context. The classical 'Madonna' or 'Theotokos' imagery develops from the 5th century, as Marian devotion rises to great importance after the Council of Ephesus formally affirms her status as 'Mother of God or Theotokos ("God-bearer")' in 431. The Theotokos iconography as it developed in the 6th to 8th century rises to great importance in the high medieval period (12th to 14th centuries) both in the Eastern Orthodox and in the Latin spheres. A tradition recorded in the 8th century claims that Marian iconography goes back to a portrait drawn from life by Luke the Evangelist, with a number of icons claimed to either represent this original icon or to be a direct copy of it. In the Western tradition, depictions of the Madonna are greatly diversified by Renaissance masters such as Duccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giovanni Bellini, Caravaggio and Rubens.