A Study Of The Image Of The Virgin Mary In The Ming And Qing Dynasties

The worship of the Virgin Mary is one of the important contents of the Chinese Christian Studies in Ming and Qing Dynasties. In academe, People who pay more attention to the phenomenon that Jesuits utilized the images of Virgin Mary during the missionary, the biography literature of Virgin Mary and contact with the Chinese folk goddess worship, the research of images of Virgin Mary of the Ming and Qing Dynasties is less relatively.From the study of that, the points concentrated in two aspects mainly. firstly, it is pointed out that images of Virgin Mary were more acceptable than the images of Passion by the people and in the Catholic missionary. Secondly, the Madonna as works of West art, in the conflict that between western realistic techniques and Chinese traditional art. This article studied which was based on the images of the art form and religions contents of the Virgin Mary systemically, discussed the sources and prototype of the Madonna, the relationship between the images and spiritual,and Mariology that had implicit in the images. The paper proposed viewpoints are as follows:First, in 16 th century,Jesuit based on the worship of the Virgin Mary, following the European tradition of the prototype, to created and spread they around the world, that was the direct source and the prototype of the Ming and Qing China. And The works proved this point fully which presented spiritual and Mariology of the Catholic.Second,the society of Jesus upheld the tradition of Catholic Mariolatry, and executed Mariolatry and Catholic Theology in almost aspects, such as the written works, overseas missionary, training monks and the construction of the church. Virgin Mary had become a merciful mother who could comfort Catholics both in the secular and divine world. Under the belief, the Jesuit artists had created the magnificent art of Virgin Mary, which had been to spread throughout the world with the preaching expansion.Third, the prototype of the Virgin Mary of Chinese is from Europe.It is clearly that prototype of Cheng Shi Mo Yuan’s Virgin Mary was our Lady of Antigua from the Cathedral of Seville, Spain, and the one of replicas was took by Matteo Ricci from Japan. But through comparing the images, this point can not be established that the origins of the Japanese print and Cheng Shi Mo Yuan are the work of Wierix brothers.Our Lady of Antigua had become the footprint of Spanish missionaries. The Tang Yin Virgin Mary. The painter should be a brilliant artist among the Chinese Catholic believers in late Ming Dynasty. The reference data was the copy of the image of "Salus Populi Romani", The purpose of inscription for Tang Yin’s is to protect the picture.Fourth, there had closely relations between the images of Virgin Mary and Jesuit’s spirituality. That is the object of contemplation, follow and pray. Song Nian Zhu Gui Cheng is Catholic tradition spirituality which meditates on the rosary, and Tian Zhu Jiang Sheng Chu Xiang Jing Jie is Spiritual Exercises of the society of Jesus. The Chinese meditation books and picture albums are in line with the structure of books Spiritual Exercises and Illustrations of the Gospel stories, and Jesuit translation,printed and spread this series, both to promote Christian doctrine, and in implementation of the Jesuit practice mode.Fifth, the images of Virgin Mary is the visualization of Mariology. For example,the stone images on St. Paul’s Church in Macau, excepted to represent the grade of worship from God to the saints, the symbol and stone images are the complete Mariology which includes eight images: door, pomegranate trees, vines,lampstands and flowers and so on, advocated her virginity. The central image of Immaculate Conception is a complicated structure and consisted images followings:sun, moon, star, ladders, fountain, a cedar tree and so on. The six patterns have a combination relation with the central image that is the art form of " Immaculate Conception" at the beginning of seventeenth Century. The whole church front wall is the reflection of the four Mariology: mother of God, the death of Virginity,Immaculate Conception and Assumption. And the other example, in the image of Four Last Things, the Mariology of virgin Mary in the four scenes of dying, purgatory,judgment and heaven is that she blesses people hospice and ascend to the heaven; the souls in the purgatory relies on her to help them out of the abyss of misery; when they are waiting for the judgment, she intercedes with God; in heaven, she enjoys the superb glory.