The Nursing Virgin: Mary in Egyptian Christian Art

Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

The Nursing Virgin: Mary in Egyptian Christian Art

Posted on 10/19/2017

The Women’s and Gender Studies department co-sponsors in conjunction with the Department of Religious Studies, School of Art and the Humanities Network and Consortium:
The largest extant body of early Byzantine depictions of the Virgin Mary nursing Christ comes from Egypt. These enigmatic images were produced almost exclusively for a male, monastic audience. They raise numerous questions. Why did monks choose this image? Given that Mary was a virgin, how could she nurse? Where did the milk come from, and what did it do for the Christ child?  In this lecture, Elizabeth Bolman will discuss these images and their functional contexts.
You are cordially invited to join us for the discussion and a reception thereafter on Thursday October 19, 2017 from 5:30pm to 7pm held at the Weatherspoon Museum. We would love to see you there!

When: Oct 19, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Location: Weatherspoon Museum