‘Nardus mea dedit odorem suum’. Iconographic Interpretation of The Assumption of Mary with Flowered Grave in Late Medieval Italian Art in the Light of Patristic and Theological Sources

Abstract

Among the images of The Assumption of Mary in Italian art of the Late Middle Ages one often sees the detail of the tomb of the Virgin germinated with plenty of flowers. That surprising iconographic element has remained in oblivion, perhaps because it was considered a simple anecdote or a decorative feature devoid of meaning. Relying on abundant exegesis from Patristics and theology, as well as on some references to apocryphal texts, this essay highlights the many and profound doctrinal meanings enclosed under this enigmatic iconographic detail of flowering from the sarcophagus of the Son of God’s Mother.