Praying the Angelus with Art: This Week's Image

This week's image dates between 1615 and 1620. The Wikipedia article about the history St Paul's in Antwerp, founded and then re-founded by the Dominicans, is well worth reading. This week's Annunciation (by Hendrick van Balen) is part of that interesting history:

In 1623, the painting Madonna of the Rosary by Caravaggio arrived in Antwerp probably via the Dutch market. On the initiative of some artists, among whom Peter Paul Rubens, Hendrick van Balen and Jan Brueghel the Elder, the painting was donated as altarpiece to the St. Paul’s Church. Rubens organized the leading Antwerp painters to make a series of 15 paintings on the theme of the "Mystery of the Rosary Cycle" to flank the Caravaggio painting. In 1786, Emperor Joseph II of Austria, after ordering the closing of all ‘useless’ monastic orders, claimed the painting of Caravaggio for his art collection. 

Praying the Angelus with Art: This Week's Image

Michael Angelo Immenraet painted this image on canvas in the 1670's. It appears to be behind some structural works; a visit to the website (unionskirche-retten.de) only indicated that the church's fundraising efforts had been successful. Hopefully they will update their website soon with information about its artwork!

Praying the Angelus with Art: This Week's Image

There is no hint of the Cross (today's great Feast) in today's vibrant Annunciation by Giulio Cesare Procaccini (1574-1625), but as Mary "ponders in her heart" the many prophecies in the Scripture, she will come to grasp that the Son of David conceived in her "must suffer and so enter into his glory" (see Luke 24:26).