Iconography of the Loreto Virgin.
The iconography of the Loreto Virgin is strictly connected tothe development of the lauretan tradition. The most ancient document related to the Church of Holy Mary of Loreto (1315), mentions an image of the Virgin with the Child exposed for veneration, on whose model it could have been prepared the byzantine table with Our Lady and the prophets. From the late 14th century until the last decade of the 15th, the image of the Lauretan Virgin with the Child in the womb inside a newsstand or a small temple was spread, sometimes surrounded by angels, as seen in the sculpture on golden copper and in the table by Angiolillo Arcuccio. Due to the spread of the report by “the Teramano”, artists changed the way to represent figurative narration. Many details were added, furthermore, he tells that the House was transported by Angels until its final destination, after some inbetween stops: 1291 in “Illyria” and 1294 on Recanati’s area. The new iconographic module depicts, therefore, the Church with a bell tower or the Holy House with sloping roof, on which Our Lady sits with the Child, upholded by flying angels.
