2. The Presentation & The Betrothal

The second film in the series focusing on one of Christianity’s central figures: The Virgin Mary.

It focuses on two events: The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple and The Marriage of the Virgin. It discusses a carved ivory from Constantinople, The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple (tenth century), and a sculpture from the Northern Netherlands, The Betrothal of the Virgin (c.1490/1500), both in the Bode-Museum, Berlin.

Presented by VCS Director Professor Ben Quash and Deputy Director Dr Jennifer Sliwka.

Artworks: Constantinople, The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, tenth century, Ivory, Bode-Museum, Berlin, inv. no. 2551; Northern Netherlands, The Betrothal of the Virgin, c.1490/1500, Bode-Museum, Berlin.

Part of the Series Unlocking Christian Art. Produced in partnership with the National Museums in Berlin, these short films tell the story of the Virgin Mary with the help of the treasures of the Bode-Museum and the Gemäldegalerie, both sculpture and painting. These films are designed to equip users to understand, read, and enjoy some of Europe’s greatest works of Christian art, as well as the texts that inspired them, and to encourage fresh interpretation and insight in today’s audiences.