(the "Sposalizio")
The marriage of Mary, the mother of Christ, to Joseph, though not mentioned
in the gospels is a familiar theme in Christian art, sometimes forming
part of the cycle of scenes of the life of the Virgin. The story is
found in the Protoevangelium (New Testament apocrypha) and thence in
the 13th century Golden Legend, which was an important source-book for
artists. It tells how Joseph was chosen from among a number of suitors
by a sign, the miraculous flowering of his rod. The miracle was witnessed
by the seven virgins who were Mary's companions during her upbringing
in the Temple. The scene of the marriage shows the high priest standing
with Mary and Joseph on either side of him. Joseph is generally a man
of mature years, not the usual gray-beard of Renaissance Nativities.
In one hand he holds his wand surmounted by a dove, and with the other
places a ring on Mary's finger. The cathedral of Perugia, the city that
was the center of Umbrian art in the Renaissance, possessed a holy relic,
the supposed ring, and the theme therefore features in the work of that
school. Other versions show the pair giving their hands to each other
- a French marriage custom, and therefore seen commonly in French painting;
or they kneel before the high priest. Behind Mary are her virgin companions;
behind Joseph the glum, unsuccessful suitors still holding their rods.
One of them in a fit of rage breaks his rod across his knee. Another
may be seen trying to strike the bridegroom. The scene is usually set
before the Temple in which Mary was brought up, rarely inside it. In
Counter-Reformation art from about the end of the 16th century the number
of spectators is reduced, or they may be omitted altogether, and Joseph
is depicted without his rod.
Joseph (husband of the Virgin). The carpenter who was the foster-father
of Christ features in scenes of the infancy of Christ, and in some scenes
from the life of the Virgin. On the authority of certain apocryphal
accounts of his life it was for long customary to paint Joseph as a
white-bearded old man. This type tended to disappear with the Counter-Reformation
when his cult was promoted especially by St Teresa of Avila, and he
became widely venerated as a saint in his own right. From that time
he is depicted as a much younger, though mature, man, and his devotional
figure is commonly seen in the art of Italy and, even more, of Spain.
His attributes are a Lily (for chastity); various carpenter's tools,
and a flowering rod or wand. He leads the infant Christ by the hand
or holds him in his arms. He may be grouped with the apostle Peter or
with his namesake Joseph of Arimathaea.
-
The flowering of Joseph's rod. According to St Jerome the suitors of Mary each brought a rod to the high priest of the Temple. Joseph's rod blossomed, a sign from heaven that he was chosen to be her husband. The apocryphal Book of James relates that a DOVE came forth from the rod and settled on Joseph's head. He is usually depicted with a flowering rod, sometimes with a dove on it. The suitors are seen in the temple kneeling before the altar on which the rods are placed; or, later, the unlucky ones squabble or break their rods. The theme was condemned by the Council of Trent in the mid-16th century though thereafter Joseph retains the rod as an attribute. It was seen as a symbol of the Virgin's state because it flowered without being fertilized. The story was a borrowing from the Old Testament account, which it closely resembles, of the flowering of Aaron's rod.
- Joseph's dream. (a) The Book of James relates how Joseph's suspicions were at first thoroughly aroused by Mary's conception, but were allayed by the archangel Gabriel who appeared to him in a dream and gave him the explanation. Joseph is nodding, perhaps at his carpenter's bench, as the angel appears overhead. (b) The angel's warning to Joseph to fly with his family to Egypt to escape Herod (Matt. 2:13) is depicted in a similar manner.
- The death of Joseph. The apocryphal book, the History of Joseph the Carpenter, describes how Joseph died, aged III, in the presence of Christ and the Virgin, with angels descending from heaven. His death is depicted thus. An angel holds his flowering rod; his carpenter's tools are sometimes also shown.
- Coronation of Joseph. Joseph, holding his rod, kneels before Christ who places a crown on his head. The theme is found in the second half of the 16th century in churches of the Jesuits who were influential in spreading the cult of the saint.
James Hall, Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art, New York: Harper & Row, rev. ed. 1979