Scenes of Mary’s life

Abstract

Five scenes of the Virgin Mary’s life are depicted on these alabaster slabs, which would have served as an altar frontal (antependium). Saints Margaret and James flank the composition. The scenes are meant to be read from left to right, beginning with the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel is seen kneeling before the Virgin Mary and points to her, revealing that she will be the Mother of God. Mary extends her arms as she is surprised by the news. At the top left-hand corner is God the Father. Between the angel Gabriel and Mary is a lily, which represents her purity and virginity. Above the lily is the bird of the Holy Spirit heading for her right ear, where she conceived as she heard the angel’s message. A depiction of the Adoration of the Magi is seen on the subsequent panel. Three Magi stand behind Mary and Joseph and hold a gift to give to the infant Christ, who is lying in a manger shaped like a mandorla. At the center is a panel representing Christ’s resurrection. Christ emerges triumphantly from his tomb. He holds a staff and a banner in his left hand and gestures a blessing with his right. The subsequent panel shows the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. According to her hagiography, Mary was bodily assumed into heaven, leaving no traces of her body behind. We see Mary standing with her hands brought together for prayer. She is framed in a mandorla and is flanked by angels. God the Father is located at the top of the mandorla and welcomes her into heaven. The last panel depicts the Coronation of the Virgin. Mary is seated with her hands spread apart. This orant position suggests that she is ready to accept the crown. The Holy Trinity surrounds her; Christ is located on the left side, God the Father on the right, and the Holy Spirit, personified as a human figure, is positioned above her. The three male figures touch the Virgin’s crown. This particular iconography of the Coronation of the Virgin deviates from traditional representations of the subject, wherein Mary is located on the left-hand side of the composition and God, located on the right, crowns her. Many alabaster reliefs from England show the Virgin Mary seated at the center, as seen with similar alabaster reliefs located in the Victoria and Albert Museum. Gothic gables with finials, tracery and crockets adorn the top of every relief. These reliefs were produced in the 15th century by an English workshop. Alabaster was a popular material used to produce sculptures during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Alabaster in England was quarried in the regions of Tutbury and nearby Nottingham. The material was admired because it was easy to carve and light enough to carry. It is for this reason that many alabaster sculptures from England found themselves in the south of Italy. According to Luca Palozzi, England had established a strong rapport with southern Italy between the end of the 14th and early 15th centuries. Although alabaster was transported from England to the Amalfi coast, allowing southern Italian workshops to produce their products, this relief was likely created in England and transported to Naples. It was probably a gift purchased by a wealthy patron. The reliefs do bear some damage; some of the pieces of the figures are broken off. The relief panels are located in the Museo d’Arte Sacra Don Clemente Confalone, Maiori. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.