"Iconic and devotional, but also fraught with social and political significance, the image of the Virgin Mary has shaped Western art since the sixth century. Depictions of the Virgin Mary in art through the ages are examined from a unique combination of religious, cross-cultural, and contemporary art-historical perspectives. The through-provoking texts in "Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea" examine Mary's image as an enthroned queen, a tender young mother, and a pious woman, demonstrating how her personification of womanhood has resonated throughout history to the present day." -- Inside front dust jacket flap.