The Wilton Diptych
Posted on 09/24/2009 9:07:16 PM PDT by Pyro7480
(The following from a pamphlet titled "Walsingham: The Shrine of Our Lady - Spiritual Guide," which I obtained on a trip to the shrine of Our Lady in Walsingham, England in September 2004).
"On the Sunday after Corpus Christi 1381 in Westminster Abbey, King Richard II knelt amidst a great throng of his subjects to re-dedicate England to Mary, as her dowry. Westminster was the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, traditionally held to have been the first to make this dedication and in whose reign Walsingham had been founded. Richard made at least two pilgrimages at this time to Our Lady's Shrine in Walsingham and to that of St. Edmund at Bury. The saintly Edmund, king of East Anglia, where Walsingham was situated, had been martyred for the faith by the Vikings in the 9th century. In the [Wilton] diptych (above) the three "dowry kings," as they are known, are depicted with St. John the Baptist, Richard's special patron. At the end of the Richard's reign Thomas Arundel, Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote: 'The contemplation of the great mystery of the Incarnation has brought all Christian nations to venerate her from whom came the beginnings of Redemption. But we, as the humble servants of her own inheritance and liegemen of her special dower, as we are approved by common parlance, ought to excel all others in favour of our praises and devotion to her.' A hundred years later, the Pynson Ballad centres the spirituality of Walsingham on this same great mystery, seeing the Shrine as the very reason for the title 'dowry of Mary.'"
"O England, great cause have you to be glad
Compared to the Promised Land
For you are graced to stand in that degree,
Through this glorious lady's intercession;
To be called in every realm and region
The Holy Land, Our Lady's Dowry
Thus are you called from all antiquity.
And this is the cause, as appears by comparison.
In you is built New Nazareth, a house
To the honour of the Heavenly Empress
And of her glorious Salutation.
First principle and ground of our Salvation,
When Gabriel said at old Nazareth: Ave!
This joy shall be remembered here each day."
(Ballad of Walsingham, c. 1490)
Catholic ping!
Could you make this a Catholic Caucus? I forgot to add that. Thanks in advance!
Happy Feast day to all our Anglican Use FReepers!
I know the colors are part of classic iconography, but the mix of red white and blue in that image suddenly struck me:
Our Lady Liberty.
The red and white doubtless refer to the St. George's Cross, the flag of England at the time (it's the banner the angels are carrying in the Wilton Diptych), while blue of course is traditionally Our Lady's color.
Right. And add to that the whole Englishness of it...I wish I were a better artist who could play off that juxtaposition!
Holy Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us to the Lord our God.
St. Thomas a Beckett, Pray for us.
St. John Fisher, Pray for us
St. Thomas More, Pray for us
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Pray for us
Blessed Miguel Pro, Pray for us.
Of this chapell se here the fundacyon,
Bylded the yere of crystes incarnacyon,
A thousande complete syxty and one,
The tyme of sent Edward kyng of this region.
Beholde and se, ye goostly folkes all,
Which to this place have devocyon
When ye to Our Lady askynge socoure call
Desyrynge here hir helpe in your trybulacyon:
Of this hir chapell ye may se the fundacyon.
If ye wyll this table overse and rede
Howe by myracle it was founded indede.
That’s really beautiful! Where did you find it? Do you know who wrote it?
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