The Virgin, protector of the Trinitarian Order and the Apparition of the Virgin to Saint John of Matha
1693. Oil on canvas.Not on display
Piece in two fragments, with the Apotheosis of the Virgin as protector of the Trinitarian Order, and an angelic choir composed of several angels surrounding the lectern. Saint John of Matha is depicted within the choir of a church, a space that can be identified by the presence of an open choir book above the lectern. The founder of the Trinitarian Order is located on the far left of the composition in the foreground. He appears in an attitude of mystical ecstasy before the apparition of the Virgin with his cohort of praying angels, some holding books in their hands. The apparition reveals the Virgin crowned by several angels and accompanied by two other pairs of angels singing beside her, flanking the choir book in the foreground. The angel on the left looks up to heaven as he sings and marks the rhythm with his raised right hand. On either side of the lectern are other angels with their mouths half-open in an attitude of singing. The musician angels, both singers and instrumentalists, are beneficent spiritual beings. They are intermediaries between God and mankind who act as messengers and mediators between divine and earthly harmony. They occupy the third and last place in the evangelical hierarchy and are usually represented as children or youths. The canticle alludes to the predication of the Old and New Testament; to the praises and glorifications made to God.
In the centre of the scene stands a lectern with a large, profusely illuminated choir book, open to read a piece that has been identified (Liber usualis) as the 1st Antiphon and Saeculorum of Vespers for the feast of the birth of the Virgin (8 September).
