Once I was a clever boy learning the arts of Oxford... is a quotation from the verses written by Bishop Richard Fleming (c.1385-1431) for his tomb in Lincoln Cathedral. Fleming, the founder of Lincoln College in Oxford, is the subject of my research for a D. Phil., and, like me, a son of the West Riding. I have remarked in the past that I have a deeply meaningful on-going relationship with a dead fifteenth century bishop... it was Fleming who, in effect, enabled me to come to Oxford and to learn its arts, and for that I am immensely grateful.


Thursday, 21 November 2024

The Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple


Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lady in the Temple. The New Liturgical Movement has a typically well informed history of the development of the day in both West and East and of its celebration. This can be seen at Liturgical Notes on the Presentation of the Virgin Mary

As the NLM piece shows the Feasthas, in the West, has tended to go in and out of liturgical fashion. The article site, the fact that although it is recorded in England in the early eleventh century by the mid-sixteenth century it was relegated to the appendix of the Sarum Missal.
Similarly in Rome it was promoted by the Franciscan Pope Sixtus IV in the late fifteenth century, removed by the Dominican Pope Pius V in his 1570 reform, only to be restored in 1585 by Pope Sixtus V.

This hasno doubt been due to its origin in the Apocryphal Gospels of the second century.

Two charming Sienese paintings from the turn of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries depicting the Presentation in the Samuel H. Kress collection in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, with their accompanying notes can be seen at The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple by Paolo di Giovanni Fei and at The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple by Andrea Di Bartolo

  • An older woman and man stand behind a young girl who climbs up the steps of a structure, in which a bearded man stands with his hands outstretched, while a group of six people gather to our right, all against a shimmering gold background in this vertical painting. All the people have light skin with long noses, dark eyes, and their garments are edged with gold. The young girl, Mary, walks to our right but looks back over her shoulder to our left. She has reddish-blond hair pulled back under a scarlet-red headband, hazel-green eyes, and her rosebud lips are closed. Her rose-pink, long-sleeved dress falls to her feet and is covered with a stylized, gold, floral pattern. She holds a book with a red cover in one hand and holds up the hem of her dress with the other. She and the two older people behind her have flat, gold halos incised with geometric patterns surrounding their heads. The older couple behind her, in the lower left corner of the composition, face our right in profile. The older woman stands closer to us, wearing a white veil that covers her head, neck, and shoulders. With one hand she holds the sides of her aquamarine-blue cloak closed over her pine-green dress, and she holds her right hand up near her shoulder with the palm facing Mary. The man behind her has a gray beard and wavy hair, and he wears a dusky rose-pink cloak over a long-sleeved, blue garment. He raises his right hand near Mary’s elbow. The arched, domed structure at the top of the stairs, in the right half of the painting, has ivory-white walls, and the ceiling is blue with gold stars. Mary approaches a man standing in the structure with his arms held out and hands open. He has shoulder-length, curly gray hair and a long beard, and wears a tall, pointed cap above a gold crown. His red cloak falls open over a long white robe that ends just shy of the golden-yellow garment beneath, which falls to his feet. Tucked into the corner behind him and to our right, four young girls or women with blond hair tucked under headbands stand in a close group, wearing dresses of butter yellow, crimson red, or rose pink. The girl closest to us crosses her arms over her chest and looks to our right, but the others look toward the man in the structure. They stand next to a rectangular altar holding a tall, gold vessel. The two bearded men in the lower right corner of the painting look toward each other and point in opposite directions, one wearing a lilac-purple cloak over a red robe and the other a forest-green cloak over a pale blue robe. In the background, the red layer beneath the gold leaf shows through in some areas.

  • An older woman and man stand behind a young girl who climbs up the steps of a structure, in which a bearded man stands with his hands outstretched, while a group of six people gather to our right, all against a shimmering gold background in this vertical painting. All the people have light skin with long noses, dark eyes, and their garments are edged with gold. The young girl, Mary, walks to our right but looks back over her shoulder to our left. She has reddish-blond hair pulled back under a scarlet-red headband, hazel-green eyes, and her rosebud lips are closed. Her rose-pink, long-sleeved dress falls to her feet and is covered with a stylized, gold, floral pattern. She holds a book with a red cover in one hand and holds up the hem of her dress with the other. She and the two older people behind her have flat, gold halos incised with geometric patterns surrounding their heads. The older couple behind her, in the lower left corner of the composition, face our right in profile. The older woman stands closer to us, wearing a white veil that covers her head, neck, and shoulders. With one hand she holds the sides of her aquamarine-blue cloak closed over her pine-green dress, and she holds her right hand up near her shoulder with the palm facing Mary. The man behind her has a gray beard and wavy hair, and he wears a dusky rose-pink cloak over a long-sleeved, blue garment. He raises his right hand near Mary’s elbow. The arched, domed structure at the top of the stairs, in the right half of the painting, has ivory-white walls, and the ceiling is blue with gold stars. Mary approaches a man standing in the structure with his arms held out and hands open. He has shoulder-length, curly gray hair and a long beard, and wears a tall, pointed cap above a gold crown. His red cloak falls open over a long white robe that ends just shy of the golden-yellow garment beneath, which falls to his feet. Tucked into the corner behind him and to our right, four young girls or women with blond hair tucked under headbands stand in a close group, wearing dresses of butter yellow, crimson red, or rose pink. The girl closest to us crosses her arms over her chest and looks to our right, but the others look toward the man in the structure. They stand next to a rectangular altar holding a tall, gold vessel. The two bearded men in the lower right corner of the painting look toward each other and point in opposite directions, one wearing a lilac-purple cloak over a red robe and the other a forest-green cloak over a pale blue robe. In the background, the red layer beneath the gold leaf shows through in some areas.

    • This painting is divided into three vertical panels that show people gathered in different parts of a temple, which spans the composition. Each panel is framed by a white and blue latticed arch. The people’s pale skin is tinged with green and they have rosy cheeks. Almost all of their robes, cloaks, and dresses are edged with gold. The central panel is the widest, about half again as wide as each side panel, and a bit taller than the other two. In it, a young blond girl, Mary, stands with her hands folded together in front of two bearded men. Mary leans slightly away from one of the men and looks off to our left. She wears a pale blue garment densely patterned with glimmering gold. She and one of the men next to her have shiny gold halos. The haloed man slightly bows toward Mary, hands out. His gold robe is lined with red, and he wears a white peaked hat with a gold band around the base. The second man stands behind this pair, his hands lifted, palms out. A rose-pink robe is covered by a crimson-red cloak, and a white cloth covers most of his balding head. This trio stands on a raised platform accessed on three sides by seven steps. Coral-red columns with white capitals hold up gray arches above, which in turn support a rose window at the top center of this panel. Two small boys stand at the base of the steps, their backs to us. Both have blond hair and wear red stockings. One wears a white and gold polka-dotted, high-necked robe and the other wears red and points at Mary. Six people fill the arch to our left. A woman with her head and neck covered by a white veil holds up one hand as she clutches her muted blue, gold-edged cloak around her body. She and the bearded, balding man next to her, who wears blue and pink, both have shiny halos. Three more people are barely visible next to and beyond this pair. The sixth person kneels and crosses the left and center panels. They wear a laurel-green robe and look up at Mary. In the panel to our right, two men stand in front of a balcony occupied by eight blond women. Both men are bearded. One has brown hair covered by a black hood, and he wears a pale blue robe under a shell-pink cloak. He looks off to our left, at Mary, and holds his hands clasped down in front of his torso. The other man looks at the first with one hand raised, the thumb pointing toward the center. He has gray hair covered by a white hood, and wears butterscotch-yellow and red. The women above wear dresses in red, pink, yellow, marine blue, or white dotted with gold. The spaces behind the groups on either side panel are backed by gray stone archways lined with coral-red molding. The floor across all three is patterned with squares and rectangles in red, black, and white. Low, white stone walls span the width of the side panels and open up to the center.

    This painting is divided into three vertical panels that show people gathered in different parts of a temple, which spans the composition. Each panel is framed by a white and blue latticed arch. The people’s pale skin is tinged with green and they have rosy cheeks. Almost all of their robes, cloaks, and dresses are edged with gold. The central panel is the widest, about half again as wide as each side panel, and a bit taller than the other two. In it, a young blond girl, Mary, stands with her hands folded together in front of two bearded men. Mary leans slightly away from one of the men and looks off to our left. She wears a pale blue garment densely patterned with glimmering gold. She and one of the men next to her have shiny gold halos. The haloed man slightly bows toward Mary, hands out. His gold robe is lined with red, and he wears a white peaked hat with a gold band around the base. The second man stands behind this pair, his hands lifted, palms out. A rose-pink robe is covered by a crimson-red cloak, and a white cloth covers most of his balding head. This trio stands on a raised platform accessed on three sides by seven steps. Coral-red columns with white capitals hold up gray arches above, which in turn support a rose window at the top center of this panel. Two small boys stand at the base of the steps, their backs to us. Both have blond hair and wear red stockings. One wears a white and gold polka-dotted, high-necked robe and the other wears red and points at Mary. Six people fill the arch to our left. A woman with her head and neck covered by a white veil holds up one hand as she clutches her muted blue, gold-edged cloak around her body. She and the bearded, balding man next to her, who wears blue and pink, both have shiny halos. Three more people are barely visible next to and beyond this pair. The sixth person kneels and crosses the left and center panels. They wear a laurel-green robe and look up at Mary. In the panel to our right, two men stand in front of a balcony occupied by eight blond women. Both men are bearded. One has brown hair covered by a black hood, and he wears a pale blue robe under a shell-pink cloak. He looks off to our left, at Mary, and holds his hands clasped down in front of his torso. The other man looks at the first with one hand raised, the thumb pointing toward the center. He has gray hair covered by a white hood, and wears butterscotch-yellow and red. The women above wear dresses in red, pink, yellow, marine blue, or white dotted with gold. The spaces behind the groups on either side panel are backed by gray stone archways lined with coral-red molding. The floor across all three is patterned with squares and rectangles in red, black, and white. Low, white stone walls span the width of the side panels and open up to the center.
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