Miracles of Mary Paintings about Halos
By Wendy Laura Belcher
June 3, 2024
Paintings of Mary and other saints depict them with a halo. But these haloes range in size, shape, and color over time and place and painter.
1300s and 1400s
In this Madonna and Child painting from the late 1300s, Mary's halo appears in concentric red and yellow bands, while Christ's halo appears in red, yellow, and green, almost checkered.
In this painting of the Holy Family from the late 1300s, with Joseph carrying Jesus on his shoulders, they all have the same type of yellow haloes.
In this early Ethiopian manuscript from December 1400, Mary's halo appears in luminous gold leaf.
1500s
In this Madonna and Child painting from the 1500s, Mary's halo is mainly orange, in contrast to the haloes of the angels, which are mainly yellow, and Jesus's halo, which is a mix or orange and green.
1600s
In this Madonna and Child painting from the 1600s, Mary's halo is radiating spokes of yellow and red. We see this in some other paintings from the 1600s, such as Mary and Jesus's haloes in this other Madonna and Child painting.
In this painting from the late 1600s, Mary does not have a halo, but a brilliant crown standing in for it, but Jesus's halo is radiating spokes of yellow and red.
In a Madonna and Child from the 1600s, Mary's halo in this very geometric painting is like a patterned fabric, of yellow and red. We see this in some paintings from the 1700s as well, such as Mary's halo in this Madonna and Child painting, and in the 1900s, in this halo and this halo. This may be a regional variation; it might be more common in northern Ethiopia.
1700s
In this painting of the Annunciation from the very early 1700s, Mary's halo is yellow with green and black spokes. In other paintings of Mary's life in the early 1700s, we see similar motifs, such as this Mary's halo (with yellow spokes) and Mary's halo (with green spokes) and Mary's halo (with yellow and green spokes).
Later in the 1700s, we see Mary's halo with spokes, but in different colors.
1900s
In this Mary enthroned painting from the early 1900s, Mary is wearing a crown and an unusual halo, with red and green bands and stars. Another painting, from the 1800s, has a similar crown-halo.
In a painting of Mary's Five Sorrows from the early 1900s, Mary's halo is also unusual, with dark blues.
