The Visitation, Pietro di Francesco degli Orioli (1458-1496), Pinacoteca, Siena, Italy. © La Collection / Domingie & Rabatti. 

In the fifteenth century, the representation of the Visitation becomes much more than a simple pictorial narration of the Gospel of Luke (1: 39ff).

It serves as a window through which to contemplate the mystery of God who visits and redeems his people. On the surface, the Visitation by Pietro Orioli depicts a touching family reunion, based on the apocryphal gospels. Here we see Zechariah and Elizabeth, first cousins of the Virgin Mary (Anne, the mother of Mary, had a sister, Esmeria, who was Elizabeth’s mother), who greet Mary of Nazareth in the courtyard of their home. Our Lady is accompanied by two of her sisters (or sisters-in-law), Mary Salome (blonde), wife of Zebedee, and Mary of Clopas (brunette).

All four women are visibly pregnant, with, respectively, John the Baptist, Jesus, James the Greater, and James “the brother of the Lord” (and first bishop of Jerusalem). However, as a clear sign that Mary’s pregnancy is incomparable to that of any other woman, the artist has clothed the Mother of God in an immaculate white dress, symbol of both the baptism she received in advance and her virginity. Beyond these anecdotal allusions, this family encounter conveys a profound symbolic meaning: the intertwined hands of Elizabeth, the elderly woman, and of Mary, younger than sin, enact the transition from the Chosen People to the Church, from the old Covenant to the new and eternal Covenant. At right in the painting, the Old Testament is represented by Zechariah the high priest, by Elizabeth who bears John the Baptist, the last of the prophets, and by a servant who personifies the Law that withdraws before the Word made flesh. At left, the New Testament is represented by the Virgin Mary. Present within the tabernacle of her womb, the Savior of the world announced by the prophets is authenticated by the leaping of John the Baptist. And here we see the two other Marys, pregnant with apostles, future pillars of the Church. They will remain standing, faithful, at the foot of the cross, and at the tomb they will be among the first witnesses to the Resurrection.