A: The image of Mary suckling the baby Jesus is referred to as
Maria lactans. Though not exactly a very common
representation of the Madonna, it did have periods of relative
fame.
The representation of Maria lactans remains
exceptionally rare until the 13th century (see, for example,
stone-relief of Maria lactans according to Dom Rupert,
1170-80, Liege, Belgium), when theology and art shifted from a
more spiritual viewpoint about God, Christ and holy persons to
the contemplation of the humanness of Christ and consequently,
the illustration of Christ's and Mary's human history. The type
of Maria lactans is a consequence of this shift.
This artistic motif will be popular during the following
centuries until the 16th century when it disappears to resurface
in the 18th century in connection with the so-called fountain of
life representations (Mary is depicted as fountain of life whose
breasts pour out the water of life).
Some of the very well known Maria lactans representations are: Simone Martini's Madonna del Latte, Siena 1330; Ambrogio Lorenzetti's Madonna del Latte, Siena, 1330-35; several Flemish artists of the early 15th century. The best known illustration of the Maria lactans type is from the master of Flemalle (1430), the so-called "salting Madonna" [at left].
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