- Dec 29, 2012
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I'm watching a very interesting documentary on Michelangelo and his hidden pagan symbolism in Christian art. Right now they are covering the Vatican Pieta; how it's very odd that Mary is depicted to be about 20 years old, while the crucified and dead Jesus would be about 33 years old. The story Michelangelo told Orthodox authorities was that Mary was so pure, so perfect, the Virgin, that depicting her as a young woman was perfect symbolism.
HOWEVER...
Michelangelo's presentation model of the Pieta has been discovered, with some shocking discoveries. The model has what, at first glance, appears to be an angel at Mary's side, holding Jesus' left arm and hand up. But upon further inspection, this angel is no angel at all. There is a leather strap and a quiver of arrows, making the angel no angel at all, but a Cupid. Angels would have never been depicted this way. Somebody tried to break these pieces off, but they left enough of it behind for experts to identify. Michelangelo attempted to insert a pagan symbol of carnal love into Christian art. In ancient Latin, Cupid is the God of desire and love, and in Greek, Eros, meaning erotic. The sexual implications cannot be ignored. The Cupid connects Jesus to a woman, a woman oddly young, much younger than he, and much, much younger than the actual Mary at the time of his crucifixion and death. Leaving one to conclude that this young woman was not originally intended to be the true Mary the Mother of Jesus, but his lover. Perfect, subtle pagan symbolism. Of course he couldn't have such a piece in a church, let alone the Vatican, so upon accepting his model, he was forced to leave the Cupid out; yet he kept the symbolism of the young woman, now going with the story that Mary was so pure, so perfect, the Virgin, that depicting her as a young woman was perfect symbolism.
This is a theory that would have fallen flat, been considered bunk, unworthy of attention, until the discovery of his model piece and the documentation of Michelangelo being the artist of the model piece in the writings of rich families living in Bologna during the 16th century.
HOWEVER...
Michelangelo's presentation model of the Pieta has been discovered, with some shocking discoveries. The model has what, at first glance, appears to be an angel at Mary's side, holding Jesus' left arm and hand up. But upon further inspection, this angel is no angel at all. There is a leather strap and a quiver of arrows, making the angel no angel at all, but a Cupid. Angels would have never been depicted this way. Somebody tried to break these pieces off, but they left enough of it behind for experts to identify. Michelangelo attempted to insert a pagan symbol of carnal love into Christian art. In ancient Latin, Cupid is the God of desire and love, and in Greek, Eros, meaning erotic. The sexual implications cannot be ignored. The Cupid connects Jesus to a woman, a woman oddly young, much younger than he, and much, much younger than the actual Mary at the time of his crucifixion and death. Leaving one to conclude that this young woman was not originally intended to be the true Mary the Mother of Jesus, but his lover. Perfect, subtle pagan symbolism. Of course he couldn't have such a piece in a church, let alone the Vatican, so upon accepting his model, he was forced to leave the Cupid out; yet he kept the symbolism of the young woman, now going with the story that Mary was so pure, so perfect, the Virgin, that depicting her as a young woman was perfect symbolism.
This is a theory that would have fallen flat, been considered bunk, unworthy of attention, until the discovery of his model piece and the documentation of Michelangelo being the artist of the model piece in the writings of rich families living in Bologna during the 16th century.