SACRED ART IN 100 WORDS

Mary, Untier of Knots
Johann Georg Schmidtner
c. 1700
St Peter am Perlach, Germany

The artist depicts a resplendent Mary suspended between heaven and earth. The Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, hovers above her. Dressed in crimson and deep blue, Mother Mary is presented as Queen of the Universe. A halo of twelve stars resounds her Queenship. The Blessed Virgin stands on a crescent, an indication of her Immaculate Conception. Surrounded by cherubs and aided by angels, she serenely unties a knotted white ribbon while at the same time crushing the head of a ‘knotted’ snake. Just as a child approaches its mother with a knotted shoelace, so do we go to Mother Mary with our brokenness. Remember, in her hands, no knot cannot be undone.

 Archdiocesan Heritage Museum