Virgin in a Rose Bower
Stephan Lochner, 1448, Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne, Germany
This small panel is a charming example of northern Gothic
painting. Angels pull back a curtain to reveal an idyllic scene bathed in
golden light, a paradise that is at once both earthly and heavenly. Mary is the
“humble Madonna,” seated on the ground amidst a spectacular carpet of flowers;
and she is also Queen of Heaven, crowned with bejeweled diadem. From above, the Father and the Holy Spirit
look down with pleasure while child angels play realistic instruments, adding
sweet music to this intimate scene. The circular haloes, the lines and angles
of the rose bower and the triangle formed by Mary’s gracefully flowing robes
add an element of sacred geometry to the composition. Creation is ordered as
well as being profuse and various. The rose, with its many petals, is a symbol
of the expanding cosmos, bathed in the light of God. It is also a symbol for
union with God. Mary, the “Mystical Rose,” is our model of complete union with
God.
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