Madonna of the Rose Bower

Madonna of the Rose Bower (or Virgin in the Rose Bower) is a panel painting by the German artist Stefan Lochner, usually dated c 1440-42, although some art historians believe it contemporaneous with his later Dombild Altarpiece. It is usually seen as one of his finest and most closely detailed works.[1]

Madonna of the Rose Bower, c. 1440–42. Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne

The Virgin is presented as "Queen of Heaven", and is seated under a canopy with red curtains held apart by angels. She sits on a red cut velvet bolster, holding the Christ child in her lap.[2] Her crown and medallion are symbols of her virginity.[3] She wears a minutely detailed brooch, which contains a representation of a seated maiden holding a unicorn.[4]

Christ holds an apple, while hovering and seated angels offer gifts or play music. Five kneel in the grass before her, with instruments including a portable organ, others bear fruit.

The painting is heavily infused with symbols of innocence and purity, including the red and white roses.[5] Mary sits before a curved stone bench, around which grow lilies, daisies and strawberries, with an acanthus flower blooming to her left. Mary herself is presented on a monumental scale, underscoring her regal status.[2]

Notes
  1. Chapuis, 274
  2. Chapuis, 88
  3. Wellesz, 8
  4. Chapuis, 89
  5. "Madonna of the Rose Bower, c. 1440 – 1442". Wallraf-Richartz Museum. Retrieved 26 April 2015

Sources
  • Chapuis, Julien. Stefan Lochner: Image Making in Fifteenth-Century Cologne. Turnhout: Brepols, 2004. ISBN 978-2-5035-0567-1
  • Wellesz, Emmy; Rothenstein, John (ed). Stephan Lochner. London: Fratelli Fabbri, 1963
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