Editing Madonna (art) (section)

== Terminology ==
{{Further|Theotokos#Terminology|Titles of Mary|Queen of Heaven}}

Liturgy depicting Mary as powerful intercessor (such as the ''[[Akathist]]'') was brought from Greek into Latin tradition in the 8th century. The Greek title of Δεσποινα (''Despoina'') was adopted as Latin ''Domina'' "Lady". The medieval Italian ''Ma Donna'' {{IPA|it|maˈdɔnna|pron}} ("My Lady") reflects ''Mea Domina'', while ''Nostra Domina'' (δεσποινίς ἡμῶν) was adopted in French, as ''Nostre Dame'' "Our Lady".<ref>Johannes Schneider, ''Virgo Ecclesia Facta'', 2004,  [https://books.google.com/books?id=RfvSAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74 p. 74] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230143447/https://books.google.ch/books?id=RfvSAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74 |date=2022-12-30 }}.
Michael O'Carroll, ''Theotokos: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Blessed Virgin Mary'', 2000, [https://books.google.com/books?id=xYlKAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA127 p. 127] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221230143451/https://books.google.ch/books?id=xYlKAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA127 |date=2022-12-30 }}.</ref>

These names signal both the increased importance of the cult of the virgin and the prominence of art in service to Marian devotion during the late medieval period. During the 13th century, especially, with the increasing influence of chivalry and aristocratic culture on poetry, song and the visual arts, the Madonna is represented as the queen of Heaven, often enthroned,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.35.html | title=Madonna and Child on a Curved Throne }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.41622.html | title=Madonna and Child Enthroned with Four Saints }}</ref> such as the [[Ognissanti Madonna]]. Madonna was meant more to remind people of the theological concept which is placing such a high value on purity or virginity. This is also represented by the color of her clothing. The color blue symbolized purity, virginity, and royalty.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mymodernmet.com/shades-of-blue-color-history/ | title=The History of the Color Blue: From Ancient Egypt to the Latest Scientific Discoveries | date=12 February 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-jesus-mary-wear-red-blue-art-history | title=Why Jesus and Mary Always Wear Red and Blue in Art History | date=19 December 2018 }}</ref> [[Ultramarine]] was usually reserved for only the most important commissions, such as the blue robes of the Virgin Mary in [[Gérard David|Gérard David's]] [[Virgin and Child with Female Saints]].

While the Italian term ''Madonna'' paralleled English ''Our Lady'' in late medieval Marian devotion, it was imported as an [[Art history|art historical]] term into English usage in the 1640s, designating specifically the Marian art of the [[Italian Renaissance]]. In this sense, "a Madonna", or "a Madonna with Child" is used of specific works of art, historically mostly of Italian works. A "Madonna" may alternatively be called "Virgin" or "Our Lady", but "Madonna" is not typically applied to eastern works; e.g. the ''[[Theotokos of Vladimir]]'' may in English be called "Our Lady of Vladimir", while it is less usual, but not unheard of, to refer to it as the "Madonna of Vladimir".<ref>"Madonna of Vladimir" e.g. in Hans Belting, Edmund Jephcott; Edmund Jephcott (trans.) ''Likeness and Presence: A History of the Image Before the Era of Art'', University of Chicago Press, 1996, p. 289.</ref>