Author(s): Lauren Watts
Mentor(s): Alexa Sand
Institution USU
The Double Intercession, attributed to Lorenzo Monaco, is a fifteenth century Italian painting that portrays the intercession of Christ, as well as the Virgin Mary and is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This research will address a phenomenological approach to the analysis of this painting, meaning, I will be examining it in terms of how its iconography, style, and spatial orientation within the context of its original site propose a strong statement of the Virgin Mary's spiritual power and efficacy. This research will investigate this specific art-historical example with the goal of probing more deeply the possibility of feminist spirituality within a profoundly conservative and misogynistic cultural setting. The methodology for this research involved a comprehensive literature review of the Double Intercession painting, as well as researching instances of this concept in medieval literature and traveling to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City to study the painting in person. This research also explores the earliest instances of the double intercession in literature, and outlines a brief history of this concept in Catholicism. The significance of this research lies in its ability to address a scholarly gap, as this specific painting has not yet been examined in terms of phenomenology and space. Nor have scholars explored how the medieval female spectator might have gained a sense of her own importance through engagement with the painting. The social injustices of women within Christianity have persisted for centuries, and this research offers a valuable perspective on Christian theology and its relationship to women through art. This research also explores the role of the gendered body in devotion.