Commentary
Before the printing press and widespread literacy, signs and symbols were used as effective tools for teaching through art. Average viewers could recognize pictorial meaning even in the use of color. For example, red was a reference to humanity or the passions, purple indicated majesty, and white was an allusion to purity. Traditional symbols such as lilies may remain familiar to modern eyes, but many no longer understand how to interpret their significance. The spear-like petals of a white lily, often visible beside an image of the Madonna, referenced her purity and future suffering.
The foundations of Christian faith date back thousands of years, even before the coming of Christ. Throughout Christian art, Mary is seen as the bearer of the ark of the covenant, because she concealed Jesus in her womb. When the ark of the covenant was to be moved by the Levites (Numbers 4:6) it was to be draped in a cloth of blue and veiled even from the eyes of the priests. Before and during the Renaissance, artists who understood the faith often depicted Mary in blue. Blue pigments were ground from a semi-precious stone called lapis lazuli, suited to a queen. Blue is the hue of the heavens and represents hope. Thousands of years of faith, suffering, learning and growing towards God form the bedrock of Christian faith, art and tradition….