In the miniature, the Virgin, dressed as she was in the Annunciation in a plum gown and blue cloak, gently extends her hand to Elizabeth. The older cousin folds her hands in prayerful recognition of the Mary’s role as the Mother of God. The thick burlet on Elizabeth’s head marks her as an old woman – the headgear on which it is fancifully based had been out of fashion by 1460. The brooch she wears at her hip as well as the thick gold belt with its pair of dangling purses – the likes of which are completely fantastic – also give her an exotic appearance. The tired man standing behind the pair—his eyes half shut—is Mary’s husband, Joseph.
Roger S. Wieck.
Curator, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts
The Morgan Library & Museum
In the miniature, the Virgin, dressed as she was in the Annunciation in a plum gown and blue cloak, gently extends her hand to Elizabeth. The older cousin folds her hands in prayerful recognition of the Mary’s role as the Mother of God. The thick burlet on Elizabeth’s head marks her as an old woman – the headgear on which it is fancifully based had been out of fashion by 1460. The brooch she wears at her hip as well as the thick gold belt with its pair of dangling purses – the likes of which are completely fantastic – also give her an exotic appearance. The tired man standing behind the pair—his eyes half shut—is Mary’s husband, Joseph.
Roger S. Wieck.
Curator, Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts
The Morgan Library & Museum
