Copy after Botticelli 1852 - 1919

This is Julian Alden Weir’s watercolor copy after Botticelli, now held at the Metropolitan Museum. The halo, an aureole of light, signifies holiness, its use stretching back to pre-Christian sun worship. Here, it marks Mary and the infant Christ, identifying them as sacred figures within the Christian narrative. Consider how this motif of divine light transcends cultures, appearing in various forms across religions, from the Zoroastrian concept of radiant glory to the nimbus in Buddhist art. The tender embrace between mother and child, or Eleusa, evokes the depths of human emotion but also mirrors ancient portrayals of nurturing goddesses. This gesture is seen in depictions of Isis nursing Horus, an enduring symbol of maternal love and power. The recurrence of such imagery speaks to our collective unconscious, resonating deeply as it taps into primal experiences. This cyclical progression—religious symbol turned artistic motif—demonstrates how these images resurface, transformed yet familiar, throughout history.