"Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological Sources
This paper (which complements two previous works of our authorship) proposes to interpret the bouquet of lilies in medieval images of The Annunciation in two essentially intertwined dogmatic meanings, related to Christology and Mariology. Contradicting conventional “explanations” of such flower in t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidad Complutense de Madrid
2014-06-01
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| Series: | Eikón Imago |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/EIKO/article/view/73389 |
| _version_ | 1818882605835091968 |
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| author | José María Salvador González |
| author_facet | José María Salvador González |
| author_sort | José María Salvador González |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper (which complements two previous works of our authorship) proposes to interpret the bouquet of lilies in medieval images of The Annunciation in two essentially intertwined dogmatic meanings, related to Christology and Mariology. Contradicting conventional “explanations” of such flower in this Marian scene, we found our proposal in many and consistent testimony of some prestigious Church Fathers and medieval theologians, glossing the biblical sentence Ego sum flos campi et lilium convallium. Such lyrical expression is seen by those authors as a clear metaphor that identifies Christ, the incarnate Son of God, and that, as such, also refers to Mary, in whose virginal womb the Son of God's incarnation is produced. Thus, based on the solid patristic and theological tradition on this biblical sentence, we dare to interpret the bouquet of lilies in paintings of the Annunciation (illustrated here by nine paintings of the Italian Trecento) as a double metaphor, which means both the supernatural human incarnation of God the Son and the virginal divine motherhood of Mary. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:20:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4d08fe57e77d40f0b606362fb199bbda |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2254-8718 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T15:20:25Z |
| publishDate | 2014-06-01 |
| publisher | Universidad Complutense de Madrid |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Eikón Imago |
| spelling | doaj.art-4d08fe57e77d40f0b606362fb199bbda2022-12-21T20:16:02ZengUniversidad Complutense de MadridEikón Imago2254-87182014-06-013110.5209/eiko.73389"Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological SourcesJosé María Salvador GonzálezThis paper (which complements two previous works of our authorship) proposes to interpret the bouquet of lilies in medieval images of The Annunciation in two essentially intertwined dogmatic meanings, related to Christology and Mariology. Contradicting conventional “explanations” of such flower in this Marian scene, we found our proposal in many and consistent testimony of some prestigious Church Fathers and medieval theologians, glossing the biblical sentence Ego sum flos campi et lilium convallium. Such lyrical expression is seen by those authors as a clear metaphor that identifies Christ, the incarnate Son of God, and that, as such, also refers to Mary, in whose virginal womb the Son of God's incarnation is produced. Thus, based on the solid patristic and theological tradition on this biblical sentence, we dare to interpret the bouquet of lilies in paintings of the Annunciation (illustrated here by nine paintings of the Italian Trecento) as a double metaphor, which means both the supernatural human incarnation of God the Son and the virginal divine motherhood of Mary.https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/EIKO/article/view/73389Medieval ArtIconographyThe AnnunciationMariologyChristologyPatrology |
| spellingShingle | José María Salvador González "Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological Sources Eikón Imago Medieval Art Iconography The Annunciation Mariology Christology Patrology |
| title | "Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological Sources |
| title_full | "Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological Sources |
| title_fullStr | "Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological Sources |
| title_full_unstemmed | "Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological Sources |
| title_short | "Flos campi et lilium convallium". Third Interpretation of the Lily in the Iconography of The Annunciation in Italian Trecento Art from Patristic and Theological Sources |
| title_sort | flos campi et lilium convallium third interpretation of the lily in the iconography of the annunciation in italian trecento art from patristic and theological sources |
| topic | Medieval Art Iconography The Annunciation Mariology Christology Patrology |
| url | https://revistas.ucm.es/index.php/EIKO/article/view/73389 |
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