With the historical and legendary incidents in the life of the Virgin
it has nothing to do. These subjects have been discussed
comprehensively and finally in Mrs. Jameson's splendid work on the
"Legends of the Madonna." Out of the great mass of Madonna subjects
are selected, here, only the idealized and devotional pictures of the
Mother and Babe. The methods of classifying such works are explained
in the Introduction.

Great pains have been taken to choose as illustrations, not only the
pictures which are universal favorites, but others which are less
widely known and not easily accessible.

The cover was designed by Miss Isabelle A. Sinclair, in the various
colors appropriate to the Virgin Mary. The lily is the Virgin's
flower, _la fleur de Marie_, the highest symbol of her purity. The
gold border surrounding the panel is copied from the ornamentation of
the mantle worn by Botticelli's Dresden Madonna.

ESTELLE M. HURLL.

_New Bedford, Mass., May, 1897._




INTRODUCTION.


It is now about fifteen centuries since the Madonna with her Babe was
first introduced into art, and it is safe to say that, throughout all