Jesus/Mary portraits - How do we know what they looked like?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dizzy_dave
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dizzy_dave

Guest
My wife is a convert she asked me why all the differences in the pictures, portraits and drawings of Jesus and Mary? No one had a camera back then so why have pictures of them we don’t actually know what they looked like, I wasn’t sure how to answer her question.
 
We really have no idea what they looked like. It is just the artist impression. For many years Mary was portrayed as a blond when being Jewish from the middle-east she was almost certainly olive complexion and brunette.
 
It is true that most paintings of Jesus and Mary are artists conceptions.

However, I think we have some clues as to what they might have looked like. Even though it is not necessary for Catholics to believe in these things, the Church does give much respect to the following:
  1. The Shroud of Turin bears an image that cannot be explained by science. A strong tradition indicates that the image is that of Christ.
  2. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in Mexico and left an image of herself on a type of cloak he wore called a “tilma.” The image cannot be explained by science, and is on display in Mexico City.
 
Has anyone thought about the Divine Mercy portrait. If I am not mistaken, this image was shown to Faustina by Christ in a vision and was told that this was the image to be venerated? Any thoughts? Could this be close to what he looked like?
 
40.png
joshua1:
Has anyone thought about the Divine Mercy portrait. If I am not mistaken, this image was shown to Faustina by Christ in a vision and was told that this was the image to be venerated? Any thoughts? Could this be close to what he looked like?
Click to expand...
That’s certainly the impression I got from the story. I find it interesting that the image revealed to her is quite similar to the one from the Shroud of Turin.

As for Mary, it seems the Fatima and Lourdes visionaries’ descriptions of The Lady were pretty similar to what the Guadalupe cloth reveals.
 
Shroud of Turin… in fact…MANY Icons and early church paintings ARE BASED on the Holy Shroud

Image of Gaudalupe on Juan Diagos Tilma… here she appears more culturally specific, but these two are the quintisential miraculous photo-like images we have.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top