Did Saint Anne teach Mary how to read?
Glad to know that you remained faithful to Saint Anne. The iconographical motif you are describing is one of three: (1) Saint Anne represented as matron, sometimes holding the child Mary, sometimes as autonomous figure or in the company of Joachim (miraculous conception); (2) Saint-Anne-Threesome: sitting with Mary on her lap, and the Christ child either on Mary’s arm or on Anne’s lap/arm; (3) Saint Anne teaching Mary This last motif, your topic, puts emphasis on teaching more than on learning how to read, i.e. Anne’s teaching conveys moral spiritual contents. This theme is not present in the so-called apocryphal writings. It is a consequence of theological explanations regarding Mary’s role in salvation history, in particular of her Immaculate Conception. This is one of the reasons why this iconographical motif achieved special prominence in post-Reformation times. We may distinguish four specific aspects in Anne’s teaching of Mary: 1) Initiation to Mary’s role, for example when the b
Glad to know that you remained faithful to Saint Anne. The iconographical motif you are describing is one of three: (1) Saint Anne represented as matron, sometimes holding the child Mary, sometimes as autonomous figure or in the company of Joachim (miraculous conception); (2) Saint-Anne-Threesome: sitting with Mary on her lap, and the Christ child either on Mary’s arm or on Anne’s lap/arm; (3) Saint Anne teaching Mary This last motif, your topic, puts emphasis on teaching more than on learning how to read, i.e. Anne’s teaching conveys moral spiritual contents. This theme is not present in the so-called apocryphal writings. It is a consequence of theological explanations regarding Mary’s role in salvation history, in particular of her Immaculate Conception. This is one of the reasons why this iconographical motif achieved special prominence in post-Reformation times. We may distinguish four specific aspects in Anne’s teaching of Mary: 1) Initiation to Mary’s role, for example when the b
