The Immaculate
Conception, painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, is a beautiful depiction of
the Virgin Mary. I identify two ways in
which the painting can be interpreted.
When I first
viewed the painting, I saw it as a representation of the virgin birth of
Christ. Tiepolo has painted Mary against
a backdrop of golden clouds. The colors
are lighter at the top of the painting, farther from the earth. This effect, coupled with the cherubs who
appear to be lifting Mary, provides a sense of ascension. The dove represents the Holy Ghost, and seems
to be descending from even loftier heights to meet Mary in the air. The Christ child, now conceived in the
Virgin’s womb, will deliver mankind from the power of Satan, represented by the
serpent under Mary’s feet. Her stance on
the snake is a literal foreshadowing of Christ’s ability to “crush [Satan’s]
head.” I believe the on-looking cherubs
are un-embodied spirits. They look
reverently upon the virtuous mother of God, anxiously awaiting the redemption
to be wrought for man. I am reminded of
the scripture found in First Nephi:
And it came to pass that
I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been
carried away in the aSpirit for the space of a time the angel
spake unto me, saying: Look!
And I looked and beheld the virgin
again, bearing a achild in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the aLamb of God, yea, even the bSon of the Eternal cFather!” (1
Nephi 11: 18-21).
Though Tiepolo’s
painting is a powerful reminder to me of this beautiful doctrine, I do not
believe that was his original intent.
The painting’s title, “The
Immaculate Conception” actually refers to the conception of Mary. It is a doctrine of the Catholic Church that
Mary, though born of two mortal parents, was born free of original sin. She and her son, Christ, are the only two
beings born into mortality, free of this damning curse.
In the painting, Mary
is standing upon a sphere, which can be interpreted as the earth. By painting the Virgin so much larger than
the earth, and by placing her feet upon it, Tiepolo suggests Mary’s superiority
over the rest of the human race, due to the fact that she is free of original
sin. This is emphasized by her stance
atop the snake carrying Adam and Eve’s infamous fruit. A cherub bears her a white flower, indicating
her purity. The halo above her head
suggests her holy nature. Tiepolo
believed the church’s doctrine and reverenced the sacred Virgin.