The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary

Peter Paul Rubens – workshop of

Peter Paul Rubens – The Betrothal of the Virgin Mary
date:
measurements: výška 41.8 cm, šírka 36.7 cm
work type: painting
genre: religious motif
material: wood
technique: oil
inscription:
institution: Slovenská národná galéria, SNG
curator: Zuzana Ludiková
inventory number: O 4177
tags: panna mária muž anjel
in collections:
licence: Creative Commons License public domain
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The long-haired Mary in a sumptuous brocade dress with a floral crown is to be betrothed, according to the revelation of the Lord, to an unmarried man, whose branch blossoms before the altar and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, sits upon him.

Joseph, because of his age, did not even bring the branch, but when it was handed to him it blossomed. Although at the birth of Christ he is already depicted as an old man, at the engagement the age difference between him and Mary is not so obvious. 

This sketch is probably a contemporary copy, or a workshop study, of a painting by Rubens for the convent of St. Elizabeth in Brussels, which has not survived.

lab.SNG ● Text from the atlas.sng.sk app for the exhibition Prologue: 12 Colours of Reality

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