Characterization and symbolism from the Triptych of the Annunciation, a.k.a. The Merode Altarpieceby Robert Campin, or, the Master of Flemalle, 1425-28, in The Cloisters Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Annunciation is a major theme in Christian art history. The Robert
Campin altarpiece painting is a favorite of this artist and it is filled
with disguised symbolism, for example, the lilies symbolize Mary's
virginity, the hanging water pot and white towel her purity as a vessel
for Christ and Joseph building a mousetrap which uses Christ as the bait
to catch Satan. Numbers, ivy, and crosses are also symbols in this
stained glass and porcelain piece. (See: Signs and Symbols in Christian
Art by George Ferguson, Oxford University Press, New York, 1959.)
Background to Reliquary series
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