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Spanish
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Esteban Marquez de Velasco (Spanish, died 1696)
The Marriage of the Virgin, about 1685 - 95
Oil on Canvas; 96 x 60 inches (243.8 x 152.4 cm.)
Purchased with funds from the State of North Carolina, 52.9.180
The marriage of Mary and Joseph is not mentioned in the Bible, although it is described in certain early Christian writings not included in the New Testament. According to these texts, each of Mary's suitors was told to bring a rod to the high priest of the temple in Jerusalem. Joseph's rod miraculously blossomed, and a dove came forth from it and hovered over his head, indicating that he was chosen by God to be Mary's husband. The flowering of the rod symbolically foreshadowed the miraculous conception of Christ.
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