Allegory of the Glory of the Virgin – Prayer Painting (Corona Beatissimae Virginis Mariae)

In the Late Middle Ages, laymen religious confraternities and new religious orders like the Dominicans or Franciscans purchased tablets for didactic and prayer use. One such monumental tablet was produced around the year 1500 for the Bernardine Abbey in Wrocław, as an illustration of the prayer called the Crown of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary – Corona Beatissimae Virginis Mariae. The form of this prayer was related to the Blessed Ładysław from Gielniów, a Bernardine preacher active in Krakow in the 15th century. At that time, Wrocław and Silesia fell under the jurisdiction of the Krakow Bernardines.

The statuesque image of the Virgin in the middle of the lower section of the painting served the purpose of an image for worship. The faithful could adore the Virgin Mary while also paying homage to the monks from the Wrocław order, also depicted. Higher up, on the medallions, we see scenes that were meant to aid in prayer and meditation, on subjects like Mary’s role in the act of salvation performed by her son. Included also are portrayals of both joyful and sorrowful Marian mysteries, upon which the faithful could meditate while praying the rosary, as well as images of choirs of angels, sins and virtues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all of which combined to form a catechistic lecture on the truths of faith. While teaching the fundamentals of faith and worship, the tablet was also a tool for meditation in prayer and a means to extol the Glory of the Virgin Mary.