Hail, Lady, Sea-Star Bright!

A Marian Lyric from Friar William Herebert

Dear bookish friend,

I almost wrote you an essay today ranting in my grief over the gradual but accelerating decimation of humanities departments in universities. Then I thought better of it. Maybe I will return to it later, but I don’t need to lecture you about that right now. Just keep reading glorious, off-the-beaten-path books for yourself, ok?

I thought of something better to share. First, this absolutely stunning page of Mary with the burning bush of Moses. Mary as virgin yet mother was often compared to the bush, burning yet unburnt. I’m a little starstruck by the strangeness and beauty of this one and wanted to share with you.

Madonna of the Burning Bush, 1469–1508, Georges Trubert. Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold and silver paint, and ink on parchment, 4 1/2 × 3 3/8 in. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Ms. 48, fol 154.