Immaculate Conception with the litanies

ANONYMOUS

German school, XVII century.

Woodcut on laid paper glued to cardboard.

Slight crack on the upper left margin. Good condition.

Along with lunar symbolism, the iconography associated with the Immaculate Conception was enriched with the Laurentian litanies: a set of symbolic images that alluded to the virtuous character of the Virgin Mary as Mother of God.

From among these litanies we can point out the source, as a life-giving and purifying principle. The palm tree for the righteousness of justice and the fruitfulness of the fruits. The tower as an image of firmness in faith. The closed garden that alludes to her fertile but virginal character. The mirror that, similarly to the Moon, reflects divine holiness. The door, since Mary is the door of access to Heaven. The well as a symbol of abundance and the source of life.

But in this allegorical set we also find astral symbolism such as the star, which guides and gives hope in the night, the Sun which is the image of the divine and of course the Moon as a symbol of fertility and reflection of the light of God.