Through a series of case studies, this paper examines Flemish fifteenth and early sixteenth century paintings of the Annunciation in a domestic setting as an example of how the materiality and the spiritual dimension form two inseparable aspects of devotional practice. After questioning whether these paintings reflect contemporary interiors and practices of domestic devotion, the paper discusses their use as historical sources by addressing the domestic iconography of the Annunciation as a Flemish artistic tradition. It argues that it is necessary to consider these paintings as artworks to understand their primary role as devotional objects.
The analysis of a series of Tournaisian wills dating from the first half of the 15th century demonstrates that images could function in different ways. Mobile objects such as statues or altarpieces, once placed on an altar, contributed to delineating the space for prayer within the home and participated to the liturgical performance. But as figurative images, they also allowed worshippers to contemplate the sacred figures, which were not simply represented but made present through the material qualities of images such as polychromy or thanks to interaction with light. It is therefore necessary to deepen our understanding of what the historiography of domestic devotion terms the devotional function of images.
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