Description:
The first plate from the series of six (1593-94); Luke 1:26-38; Latin inscription by Cornelius Schonaeus.
Label Text:
The Latin inscription by Cornelius Schonaeus introducing the series, including its dedication to William V of Bavaria, appears on the plaque at the left:
Serenissimo Principi. ac il / lustrissimo D[omi]no, D.[omino] Guilielmo. V. / Comiti Palat.[ino] Rhe.[nano] utrisq, / Bavariae Duci. etc. / Ut medys Proteus se transformabat in undis, / Formosae cupido Pomonae captus amore: / Sic varia princeps tibi nunc se Goltzius arte / Commutat, sculptor mirabilis, atqeu repertor. / C. Schonaes.
To the exalted Prince and August Lord, the lord William V, Count Palatine and Duke of the two Bavarias, etc. As Proteus changed amidst the waves out of burning love for the beautiful Pomona, so does Goltzius, the admirable engraver and inventor, with his varied art, for you, Oh Prince.
Marginal text by Cornelius Schoneus:
Pone metum virgo, celsi tibi nuncios adsum / Missus ab arce poli, paries intacta stupente / Natura, et veterum cecinêre oracular Vatum, / Teque Dei matrem totus venerabitur orbis.
Be not afraid, girl, I am here, sent as a messenger from the kingdom of heaven on high; a virgin, you shall bear a child to the astonishment of nature, according to the predictions of the ancient Prophets, and the whole world will worship you as the mother of God.
Mary’s quiet, composed position opposite the kneeling Gabriel references a wide range of canonical Italian Renaissance masters, including Raphael, Titian, Federico Barocci, and Federico Zuccaro. This imagery was so popular that a single source cannot be identified; rather, Goltzius’s use of large figures, a statuesque Virgin, and cautious Gabriel served to evoke the grand tradition of the recent past.
(Susan Anderson, Ph.D., interim Mellon Coordinator of College Programs, 2009)
Tags:
art; abstract; black and white; figures; angels; women; wings; suns; clouds; birds; text; children; symbolism; narrative; Christianity; biblical; exterior Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=AC+1979.46.1 |
