Portrait of Conrad Rehlinger and his Children 1517

Bernhard Strigel painted this portrait of Conrad Rehlinger and his children, in which symbols tell a story of lineage and faith. Notice the Madonna and Child in the upper right; this motif is not merely devotional. The Madonna, a symbol of divine motherhood, appears across cultures, from ancient Egyptian depictions of Isis with Horus, to the Byzantine Theotokos. The visual language of a nurturing, protective mother resonates deeply within our collective consciousness. See how the youngest child in the painting mirrors the gesture of the Christ Child, hand raised in blessing. This link suggests a continuity of spiritual protection and divine favour bestowed upon the family, weaving the earthly and the divine together, affirming the family's piety and place in the cosmic order. The symbol of the Madonna evolves, connecting us to past hopes and fears, continually reborn in new contexts.