Our Lady of Sorrows 
by Juan Correa; circa 1680
New Spain
Bandera Natural History and Art Museum
This Juan Correa painting catches the eye of so many at the museum. One particularly Frequently Asked Question is: 
Why is there a sword in Mary? 
The answer lies in a brief ... and parenthesized! ... partial-verse in the Bible. By turning to Luke's Gospel, when Mary and Joseph were Presenting Jesus at the Temple, Holy Simeon instantly knew that the infant Jesus was the promised Messiah; he then felt ready to go the the Lord. Intriguingly, tucked in with his words of astonishment, he also states:

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
—Luke 2:34-35

It's a metaphor. A sword didn't physically pierce Mary, however, seeing her Son go through his horrific Passion, she felt emotional pain as sharp as a sword. 

Another detail that often makes visitors gasp for a bit: If you look closely, you can see teardrops on Mary's cheeks. They are faint, but, if noticed, significantly add to the sense of profound despair in Mary's face.


Our Lady of Sorrows
by Nicolas Enriquez, circa 1725
Bandera Natural History and Art Museum
New Spain artist, Nicolas Enriquez, also painted Our Lady of Sorrows with the sword mentioned by Holy Simeon. Although this painting is much smaller in size, and has less detail, the deep sorrow still shows.

Speaking of The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple ...
Two Turtledoves
A discreet, yet foretelling detail in the Annunciation Mandate by Gregorio Joseph de Lara (c. 1745) 
Bandera Natural History and Art Museum

The New Spain Art Hall also holds a stunning painting of the Annunciation, where way down toward the bottom left hand corner are two little turtledoves. It is quite plausible that this artist chose to include a sign of the upcoming sacrifice of the pair of turtledoves ... several months after the Annunciation ... at the Presentation of Jesus.

“Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,” and to offer the sacrifice of “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,” in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
—Luke 2:23-24

An Alternative Title
If you could give a different name to "Our Lady of Sorrows" paintings, what would your title be?

The Feast of the  Presentation is February 2.
The Feast of Holy Simeon is February 3.
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is September 15.
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Location: Bandera, TX 78003, USA
Labels: Holy Simeon New Spain Art New Testament Saints St. Mary Visio Divina
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St. John Nepomuk (neh-poh-mook) is an intriguing saint who appears in a thought-provoking number of Colonial Spain art galleries. It is curious to wonder how this Bohemian saint showed up 200-400 years later in portraits, statues, and paintings in New Spain!

A Bit of History

Conflict with the King of Bohemia

St. John Nepomuk was born in a town called Pomuk (now Nepomuk) in Bohemia (modern Czech Republic) in 1345. He later became a priest in Bohemia and was assigned to the cathedral in Prague. This 40-something year old priest ran into some trouble with the King of Bohemia, King Wenceslas IV. King Wenceslas strove to be a devout Catholic; he would even have an illuminated Bible created: The Wenceslas Bible—close to (plausibly overlapping) the time of conflict with Fr.

This Juan Correa painting catches the eye of so many at the museum. One particularly Frequently Asked Question is: Why is there a sword in Mary? 

The answer lies in a brief ... and parenthesized! ... partial-verse in the Bible. By turning to Luke's Gospel, when Mary and Joseph were Presenting Jesus at the Temple, Holy Simeon instantly knew that the infant Jesus was the promised Messiah; he then felt ready to go the the Lord.

Ecce Agnus Dei  This "Ecce Agnus Dei" (ETCH-ay AHNG-nyoos DAY) banner is a classic inclusion in windows or paintings of St. John the Baptist. Ecce Agnus Dei is Latin for:  Behold the Lamb of God.  John the Baptist spoke these words twice in the first chapter of John's Gospel as Jesus was approaching (vv.19, 36). Those with John the Baptist—Andrew and another (tradition suggests John, the Gospel Writer) seemed to understand this title for Jesus. Perhaps they immediately understood that John was connecting Jesus to the unblemished lambs sacrificed in Exodus 12. The cross carrying the banner foreshadows Jesus' Crucifixion later on in the Gospel.  St. John the Baptist by Joseph de Figueroa; 1790—Santa Fe de Bogotá, New Granada Bandera Natural History and Art Museum How John knew that Jesus would be sacrificed like a Passover lamb, is as striking as when John—in-utero recognized Jesus—in-utero; when the not-yet-born John leapt in his mother's womb as Mary with her not-yet-born Jesus approached (Luke 1:41). A New Testament Prophet and mystic, indeed! The BookThis book in St. John the Baptist's hand likely symbolizes his knowledge of Old Testament scripture—especially the story of the ten plagues in Egypt—the tenth describing the sacrifice of unblemished lambs to save the Israelite families from the angel of death. Jesus as an Unblemished Lamb Willing to be sacrificed to take away the sins of the world.Note the face of this lamb. As "The Lamb" looks up at his cousin, John the Baptist, he seems calm, trusting, and gentle. Also consider the front bent leg of "The Lamb." It looks almost like a cross itself. The hosts at Secrets of Sacred Art helped me to brainstorm this portrayal; they reminded me that another classic Lamb of God portrayal is with a bent front leg holding a banner and/or cross. It's intriguing to consider ... did the artist decide that a second cross or banner would distract from the painting? Or did he want the bent leg to look somewhat like a cross? Or ...?  A Few Lamb of God with Bent Knee Comparisons: Once I started looking, I saw these Lamb of God images everywhere! If you have a Lamb of God depiction from your church, please e-mail it to me ... I'll add it to the collection! Bandera Natural History and Art Museum St. Stanislaus Church—Bandera, TX All Saints Catholic Church—St. Peters, Missouri Photograph by Nheyob Soroksár—Budapest, Hungary Photograph by Pasztilla aka Attila Terbócs San Fernando Cathedral—San Antonio, TX Little Flower Basilica—San Antonio, TX More Detail on the St. John the Baptist painting by Joseph de Figueroa (1790): A Star in St. John the Baptist's Halo?Some resources, mostly Orthodox, call St. John the Baptist a Morning Star, symbolizing how he announced the dawning of the ministry of his cousin, Jesus. It is possible that the small white mark in the center of St. John the Baptist's halo represents this Morning Star analogy. "... the one who is coming after me ...  —John 1:27 John's eyes are worth considering too. In contrast to the trusting, gentle look of The Lamb, John the Baptist's eyes are more serious. Rather than looking at "The Lamb of God," he is gazing out. His eyes seem like those of a mystic. Pondering, meditative, absorbing.  Camel Skin & Red CloakThis portion of the picture shows edges of the camel hair garment worn by John the Baptist. The red cloak symbolizes how he was to be martyred—beheaded by order of Herod Antipas. Blue-ish/Gray-ish BackgroundTake a moment to ponder the background of this painting. Flemish painters often painted backdrop landscapes in blues and grays. This inclusion suggests that the Colonial Spain artist, Joseph de Figueroa, may have been exposed to Flemish artistry.  Some Intriguing ScriptSome heady teamwork and pain-staking computer translating came up with the following translations: Domca. 1a. de Quarma. Inda. Plena. Day of the Lord 1st Sunday of Lent Plenary Indulgence Dominica 9a. Sabado. Indulgencia Day of the Lord (Sunday) 9th Saturday Indulgence  Plena. y se saca alma del Purgatorio. And retrieves the souls from Purgatory. Dominica de Ramos. Indulga Plenara. Palm Sunday Plenary Indulgence Juebes Indulga. Plena. Sabado Inda. Plena. Thursday Plenary Indulgence Saturday Plenary Indulgence Sabado de Pasqua. Indulga. Plena. Holy Saturday Plenary Indulgence Domingo de Espiritu Sto. Inda. Plena. Sunday of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost) Plenary Indulgence Joseph de Figueroa, Faciebat — He made it. Abril, ano de 1790. — April, 1790. Joseph de Figueroa's Signature A Piece of the Original Frame New Granada in Colonial SpainJoseph de Figueroa painted St. John the Baptist in Bogotá (then called Santa Fe de Bogotá) in New Granada in Colonial Spain—a city and region now primarily in the South American country of Columbia.  Biblical Novena to St. John the Baptist The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus is the official close of the Christmas season in the Catholic Church. It is a moveable feast that lands on the Sunday after Epiphany; however, if Epiphany lands on January 7 or 8, then The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus is celebrated the following Monday. The Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is June 24. The Feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist is August 29. "Lamb" in the Bible ...

I got a persistent little nudge in my heart a month or so ago. My book cover ... it was lovely ... a beautiful salmon-colored sky with lots of textured clouds representing the "Great Cloud of Witnesses." I took the photograph myself one evening while taking a walk on our ranch. The Hill Country sky was simply staggering!

However, after seven years, a painting in my foyer started catching my attention and the prodding in my heart got stronger. And, voila! Here is my new book cover! ...

A Treasure and a Mystery 

This brilliant piece of art—by New Spain artist Cristóbal Villalpando—is both a treasure and a mystery. This story of Mary appearing to St. Francis and presenting the baby Jesus is not found in any of the original biographies of St. Francis. Yet, this theme seems to have been rather popular during the Baroque era of art (see the list below). Some assert the event was described by Irish Franciscan: Fr. Luke Wadding, O.F.M. (1588-1657).

The New Spain Art Hall in Bandera, TX holds a vast array of religious art used by missionary priests to decorate churches and teach catechism lessons to the people of Colonial Spain. Many biblical and saint themes are there to admire and ponder. Some of the primary missionaries in Colonial Spain were Jesuits, Franciscans, and Dominicans. 

The Jesuit influence likely explains the inclusion of the Polish saint, St. Stanislaus Kostka, for he is a Jesuit whose story inspires multitudes.

St.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque was known for her visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus—a reminder of Jesus' deep, profound, and burning love for all humankind.

Sacred Hearts With IHS Inscriptions?

In the Colonial Spain art depiction of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque above, you might notice that the Sacred Heart she is holding has the classic Jesuit emblem of the IHS Christogram inscribed within.

My husband and I spent an amazing month in France last September/October. Because Chad is a St. Vincent de Paul Society member at our church, we decided to visit the Chapel of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. We both looked forward to getting to know this great saint better through the visit ... and through the stained glass windows illustrating highlights of his life. The windows in the chapel are displayed below.

I enjoy giving "tours" (often just walking around with people discussing things 😇) at my beautiful parish, and at our stunning local art museum. One question that pops up now and then is:

Why is Mary wearing a crown?

The answer is fairly simple! If you scan through 1 & 2 Kings, you'll notice that it is the mothers of the Kings of Judah who are typically named within the introduction of each king (see the chart below).

It's tricky for many to determine what this piece of vegetation is. It's only a small part of the full painting, but it's quite noticeable. Surely there must be some sort of significance! Pear and fig seem to be the two most popular suggestions. After a bit of processing and studying, I've decided that I'm on "Team Fig."  

A fairly basic study of pears shows that they don't stand up on end very easily, and their leaves tend to have pointy tips.
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