As much as I am moved by the beauty and symbolism of halos in art, I can't help smiling whenever I see one. One holiday season when I was about nine or ten, I sat at the kitchen table to draw a nativity scene. I was feeling good about my work until a tried to put a halo on Mary, so I asked my Mom for advice. She reached into a cupboard and took out one of those tin pie plates you get with a pie from the bakery. With a loving grin, Mom said, "take this and put it behind your doll's head, and you'll make a beautiful Mary." I did!
Good story! At times, there is something comical about halos, especially in the 14th and 15th century paintings, when some artists did not bother much with an elegant way to incorporate the halo (but still you can see that the halo caused them some practical problems in the composition).
The beautiful painting “The Annunciation” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti an angel is announcing to a young and frightened Mary that she will give birth to Jesus. The angel has some light around his head and Maria is already depicted with an halo.
Thanks for sharing, that's a lovely painting indeed. I am currently studying the different types of halos and whether and when they have a specific meaning. Like sometimes, one person may be depicted with a classical round halo, while the other has like rays of light emitting (bit like you describe in Rossetti's painting, although the light and the halo are relatively similar shaped).
Me again . . . . Is the description of the woman in the Book of Revelations the very first mention of a halo anywhere? I've seen holy pictures from the 5th Century, and images of Jesus sometimes depict him with a halo (around his short hair and above his clean-shaven face), and sometimes not. Also, is the starburst halo a foreshadowing of the crown of thorns?
Some of these 'references' depend on how the original texts are translated. In Matthew 13:43 it states "Then the godly people will shine like the sun," which some have interpreted like a halo. About the crown of thorns and the starburst halo, not sure if I fully understand the connection. I guess you refer to the Botticelli painting?
