September Workshop Memories (6 of 21)


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Certainly, this woman stands in the position of a wife, holding the crown of thorns as an honor. She is not Mary, the mother, nor is she Mary Magdalene. She has an unusual dress of Celtic flavor, and wears a turban, unlike the other women. This sculpture is traditionally said to have been
Certainly, this woman stands in the position of a wife, holding the crown of thorns as an honor. She is not Mary, the mother, nor is she Mary Magdalene. She has an unusual dress of Celtic flavor, and wears a turban, unlike the other women. This sculpture is traditionally said to have been "inspired" by Margaret of Austria, who was in possession of the Shroud of Turin by virtue of her marriage. The work was supported by Marguerite and Henri of Navarre. Marguerite was a patron of humanists and reformers, and as an author in her own right, she was an outstanding figure of the French Renaissance. Samuel Putnam called her "The First Modern Woman". She was a friend and correspondent of John Calvin, Francois Rabelais, and Nostradamus who lived the first half of his life in nearby Agen. One wonders just what this group was trying to tell us in this amazing piece of artwork.