The Virgin Singing the Magnificat, the Virgin Carrying the Divine Word: Symbolism and Signs between Byzantine and Western Art, lecture by Elena Papastavrou (Ephorate of Antiquities of Pieria, Hellenic Ministry of Culture), The Courtauld, November 2, 2016, 5:30 pm

The message received by the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation led to the conception of the divine Word, the union of God with humans. The dogmatic importance of Salvation related to this event is expressed by the singing of the Magnificat (Luke 1: 44-55) in sequence with the Annunciation and the Visitation. This paper explores similarities and divergences between Latin and Greek artistic traditions, focusing on representations of the Virgin Mary carrying the divine Word in Byzantine and Western art. First, I shall show how different signs (objects or poses) in Magnificat narratives from the Early Christian period were appropriated by later iconographies of the Annunciation. Second, I will analyse different iconographical types deriving from both the Magnificat and Annunciation scenes: the Virgin praying, the Virgin of the Annunciation (l’Annunciata), and the pregnant Virgin (Maria gravida).