Winterval greetings to all Virtual Stoa readers out there (assuming there are any left — I quite understand).
For those who are even more interested in the Winterval than I am, there’s what looks like the pretty definitive history over here, complete with 55-page appendix!
Traditional imagery via the Brick Testament, obviously.
Shouldn’t she be on the donkey?
Where does the tradition about the donkey come from, anyway? It isn’t in the Gospels.
It’s mentioned here (c. 140-170): http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/infancyjames-roberts.html
(Chapter 17)
Oooh, good spot.
From what I vaguely remember, it’s probably the Pseudo-Matthew that’s more influential for Western tradition. It talks about a beast rather than a donkey, but it was influential both in its own terms, and then from high-late middle ages as a major source for the relevant bits of the Golden Legend.
Thanks, Cathy!