Visitatie 1618 - 1655

Cornelis Schut’s ‘Visitatie,’ rendered in print, presents us with the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth, a tender encounter laden with symbolic weight. Here, the halo—a luminous disc—marks Mary as divine, an emblem echoing across millennia, from pagan sun gods to Christian saints. Consider how this symbol has journeyed through time. In ancient Egypt, the sun disc represented Ra, a deity of immense power, then in early Christian art, it was adapted to signify holiness, divinity, and enlightenment. This motif transcends mere representation; it carries the weight of cultural memory, evolving yet retaining its core essence. The act of greeting itself, the clasping of hands, speaks to a primal human need for connection, reassuring viewers through a deep, subconscious level. Such gestures resonate with innate emotional states. Like a restless spirit, the halo continues its wanderings, resurfacing in contemporary art and popular culture, each time imbued with new, yet familiar meanings. The emotional power embedded in this image engages viewers, speaking to a deep-seated longing for the sacred.