The Visitation of the Virgin to Saint Elizabeth; King Solomon in a Niche at Left. 1510 - 1585

Carlo Urbino rendered this pen and brown ink drawing of the Visitation scene sometime in the 16th century. We see Mary greeting Elizabeth, both women, according to the Gospels, miraculously pregnant. Consider the gesture of greeting: hands clasped, a physical bond signifying recognition and blessing. This motif echoes across time. Think of ancient Roman depictions of emperors offering clemency, or even earlier, votive statues with clasped hands, a sign of devotion. Here, in Urbino’s Visitation, it's not merely a greeting; it's a conduit of divine grace, a visual echo of the sacred meeting between the mothers of Christ and Saint John. Observe, too, the figure of King Solomon, a beacon of wisdom and a symbol of divinely sanctioned rule, watching on. These figures are not isolated but are part of a continuous chain, linking past and present, and resonating within our collective memory. This is the enduring power of images, transcending time and engaging our subconscious on a profound level.