Ave Maria: Marian Devotional Works from Eastern and Western Christendom

Virgin of the Rosary, with Life of Christ
Unknown Artist
19th century (?)
European: Russian
egg tempera on wood panel
Virgin of the Rosary, with fifteen medallions depicting the life of Christ

Ave Maria: Marian Devotional Works from Eastern and Western Christendom

August 20, 2013 to August 10, 2014

The Virgin Mary has been venerated in art and visual culture since the late Middle Ages throughout Christian Europe. Featuring both painted panels and ivories, from the Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Yugoslavia and Greece, this new exhibition in the McKenzie Gallery explores a variety of symbolic representations of Mary and iconic scenes from her life. The paintings, which showcase the quality and quantity of representations of the Virgin in the permanent collection, demonstrate the wealth of Marian imagery throughout Christendom, including the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western Marian iconography. Ave Maria is organized by recent University of Oregon Art History M.A. recipient Katrena Kugler with the assistance of JSMA Assistant Curator June Koehler.