For Catholics, the month of May is associated with special devotions to the Virgin Mary and I have been waiting to share these beautiful Marian emblems I found a while back, painted in 1654 by Kaspar Meglinger. Melinger is perhaps more noted for his paintings of The Dance of Death, but these emblems — all 361 of them painted on the paneled ceiling of Hergiswald church in the Luzern, Switzerland — form a comprehensive and faith-filled meditation on the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The emblems are lovely and quite mysterious, combining imagery and a Latin motto, and inviting meditation and interpretation. I have presented four here (from left to right, top to bottom: "I Dread the Virgin's Foot," "The Stainless Mirror," "They Are Seeking the Light," and "She Tempers Wrath." The website features 12 of the emblems, along with suggested interpretations — all of them fascinating.
And here is what they all look like on the ceiling of the church — boy I would love to see a book with all of the emblems reproduced!
(via: Kaspar Meglinger)
UPDATE: See in the comments below from Mo Crow that links to the book of all the emblems and postcards pictured below. I am sending away for these today!
The book with all the images is in print!
It’s called “Der Bilderhimmel von Hergiswald” by Dieter Bitter
http://www.bilderhimmel-hergiswald.ch/publikationen.html
I translated the site via google translate from Gernam to English
http://translate.google.com/#de|en|
I love this 21stC world!
Wow! Mo you are amazing…and so is the internet! Look there are postcards too! How wonderful…magpie moment for sure! Thanks for finding this for me.
Ok…I am having a very odd moment here….I could have sworn some left a comment about how much these Marian emblems resembled a tarot deck — and I was coming back to say yes! I totally agree. But alas…either I dreamed it, or gentle poster, you changed your mind about leaving the comment. But worse…I’ve had a cold and I am suddenly worried that in my addled head rather that reply to you I somehow deleted it. If I did, I am sorry…it was totally unintentional. And if I did, I am wondering what other mischief did I do while I was sick and gamely trying to soldier on and work…uh boy…
I think they TOTALLY look like tarot cards!