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Abstract

This research examines The Intercession of Christ and the Virgin, a painting attributed to Lorenzo Monaco. The painting is tempera on canvas, and is housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This research looks at the painting through a phenomenological lens in context of its original site, iconographic themes, and feminine spirituality. The research posits that the painting’s intercessory figures—Christ and the Virgin Mary—construct a narrative amplifying themes of feminine spirituality, challenging the misogynistic structures of quattrocento Florentine ecclesiastical culture while remaining within the bounds of contemporary orthodoxy. Studying the painting at Metropolitan Museum facilitated in-depth visual analysis, supplemented by an in depth literature review of medieval texts about the double intercession, and peer-reviewed articles containing information about the painting. The study advances three hypotheses: (1) the painting’s proposed system of hierarchy emphasizes Marian intercession, (2) its potential reception by female spectators subverts gendered devotional norms, and (3) its original spatial context would underline themes of entrance and exit, which might be important for deepening devotion. These claims address lacunae in existing scholarship, which has overlooked The Intercession of Christ and the Virgin’s spatial considerations and its implications for feminine devotion and spirituality. By showing the painting's potential for highlighting these themes, this research explores the potential for the Virgin Mary to articulate feminine spiritual power to medieval women.

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Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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