The Symbol of Bed (Thalamus) in Images of the Annunciation of the 14th-15th Centuries in the Light of Latin Patristics

Abstract

The increasingly complex and detailed images of the Annunciation of the 14th and 15th centuries include almost always some narrative details –such as a stem of lilies, 1 a book of prayers, a house in the form of a temple, 2 the divine ray of light descending, with the dove of the Holy Spirit, towards the Mary‘s ear, 3 or the submissive and demure attitude of the Virgin Mary 4 —, whose respective symbolism has been highlighted, with greater or lesser success, by numerous experts. These latemedieval Annunciations also incorporate very frequently a bed, a detail that, on the contrary, has not deserved so much attention by the specialists. In fact, this bed has gone unnoticed by many art historians and, when some of them mention it, they either consider it a mere compositional or decorative detail with no significant value, or interpret its meaning gratuitously without any documentary basis.