Title of Art: Coronation of the Virgin
Artist: Filippi Lippi
Art Form: Painting
Date of Composition: 1439-1447
Event: Coronation of Mary
Subjects: Mary, Mother of God; Theopista
Ritual Pose/Object: kneeling pose, crown, white lily
Exhibit Institution: Le Gallerie degli Uffizi (The Uffizi)
Exhibit Location: Florence, Italy
VM Image #: 0007
Photographer: Shala Graham
Date of Photograph: January 7, 2023
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Angels and saints watching Mary's coronation; one of the most important paintings of the early Renaissance. Originally painted for the high altar of the Church of Sant'Ambrogio in Florence, Italy. Artist Filippo Lippi portrayed himself as a monk with dark hair on the left in the painting.
Here, God the Father sits on the throne as he crowns the Virgin in the presence of many saints and angels. Kneeling forward, Mary humbly accepts God's divine will. Here, she is depicted as a queen. This theme started in the Middle Ages and commonly occurred in altarpieces for churches of female monasteries or converts, such as this Florentine painting for the Benedictine nuns of Sant'Ambrogio. On each side of Mary, several angels hold white lillies, representing her purity. Under Mary, the martyr Theopista, wearing a blue dress with a golden shawl, somberly stares at the viewer as she stands with her husband and children.