Rosa Mystica, an exhibition in Imola dedicated to the rose in sacred art

OnSaturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8, 2019, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., the exhibition Rosa Mystica - The Flower of the Virgin on the Table and in Sacred Art will be held at the Morelli Church in Sasso Morelli (Imola). The exhibition is part of the XXVI edition of Signs and Images of Popular Devotion.

Curator Marco Violi and CLAI present a precious selection of mainly utilitarian majolica, dating from the period between the 17th and 20th centuries, decorated with floral motifs, where the rose predominates. Accompanying these majolicas are works of sacred art, including textiles and liturgical jewelry, sculptures, paintings, ceramic plaques, reliquaries, and engravings, depicting the Virgin and saints whose symbol is the rose. Many unpublished works will be on display.

“The rose in Christian symbolism is par excellence the flower of Our Lady, the ”rose without thorns,“ like those said to grow in the Earthly Paradise, because it was born without original sin. The colors that are revealed in the countless varieties as the petals progressively bloom are reminiscent of the Mysteries of Redemption: they range from the white that recalls the Immaculate Conception and the infancy of Jesus, to the red streaks that recall the Passion of Christ to the ebony yellow of the light of the Resurrection. The five-petaled dog rose then refers to Jesus’ five wounds on the cross. Also linked to this flower are male mystical figures such as St. Dominic, Dominic Savio and particularly St. Francis, with that thornless rose bush that, born suddenly on a January night, when the saint, in order to free himself from impure thoughts, did not hesitate to throw himself on a bramble bush, instantly turned into a magnificent rose bush, while roses sprang from Francis’ wounds,” explains the curator.

The works chosen for this review come from the Diocesan Museum of Imola, the private chapel of the Bishop’s Palace, the Cathedral of Imola, the Church of the Carmine, the Museum of the Cooperative Ceramics of Imola, the Municipality of Crevalcore, some important antiquarian galleries and some prestigious private collections in Cesena, Imola and Trento.

Pictured, Ginori wedding casket with Bacchus and Ariadne.

Rosa Mystica, an exhibition in Imola dedicated to the rose in sacred art

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