The Virgin Mary: Woman, Mother, Queen
The Virgin Mary is the most prominent and beloved woman in Christian culture. She is a lasting presence: in the past, the present and the future. She accompanies us through images, stories, thoughts, prayers and songs. A magnificent and majestic queen, a caring and loving mother, and a gentle and shy maiden: as the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary embodies both the divine and the worldly. Through the centuries, she has served as the intercessor and mediator between the earthly life and the afterlife. She is the gracious and merciful mother we all know, but whose story sometimes fades in our memory.
The exhibition “The Virgin Mary: Woman, Mother, Queen” tells of the life of the most prominent woman in the Christian world through medieval and Early Modern art: altarpieces, paintings, sculptures and objects. All of them historically originate from the churches of medieval Livonia (present day Estonia and Latvia) and their stories closely relate to the local history. Through this art, the significance and presence of the Virgin Mary in the local cultural memory becomes obvious. The journey through the story of the Virgin Mary proceeds through works of art that possess their own narratives and paths through time.
Curator: Merike Kurisoo
Exhibition design: Liis Lindvere
Graphic design: Tuuli Aule
Educational programme and exhibition book for families: Mia Maria Rohumaa, Mae Kivilo
Translation into English by: Marju Kubre
Language editors: Klaire Kolmann (Estonian), Richard Adang (English)
Photos: Stanislav Stepaško (Art Museum of Estonia)
We thank: Hedi Kard, Liina Olmaru, Eva Eensaar-Tootsen, Kaarel Eelma, Tõnu Narro, Mati Schönberg
Collections: EELC Haapsalu St John’s, EELC Kaarma Sts Peter and Paul’s, EELC Swedish St Michael’s, EELC Tartu University St John’s Congregations, Estonian National Museum, Estonian Swedish organisation Friends of Swedish Culture, National History Museum of Latvia, Saaremaa Museum, Tallinn City Archives, Tallinn City Museum, Tallinn University Archeological Research Collection, Tallinn University Academic Library, Tartu Art Museum.
With the support of: Eesti Kultuurkapital, Overall Eesti AS
Master of the Lichtenstein Castle. Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Ca 1445. Art Museum of Estonia