Why does the Virgin Mary almost always wear blue and not white?

Answer 1

Why does Mary always wear light blue?

Well, she doesn't.

"The older, classic and more representative color is dark blue," according to the Rev. Johann Roten, S.M, director of the Marian Library-International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton. "Mary's dark blue mantle, from about 500 A.D., is of Byzantine origin and is the color of an empress."

Blue has stayed in vogue, but red has also become a prominent color for Mary as represented by artists since the 10th century. Blue calls to mind the color of the skies (which is not only limited to light blue), and red is the color of kings, Roten says. "However, there are a great variety of blues and other colors for Mary," he says. "For example, Flemish painters prefer blue, while German painters have a preference for red."

Regarding Mary represented with a red mantle:

As to the red mantle worn by Our Lady -- this isn't so rare either. Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling, Lucas Cranach, Geertgen tot sin Jans, Jan van Eyck but also sometimes Eastern iconography (mosaic, Chora monastery, 14th c) shows Mary cloaked in a red mantle. True, the classical tradition shows her with a red robe and a blue mantle as for example almost all Raphael Madonnas and those inspired by Raphael (Nazarenes). The red color in iconography points (early on) to nobility and elevated state, and conveys sometimes in northern Renaissance, in particular, an anticipation of suffering and passion, especially when related to the devotion of the heart as seems to be the case with the Christ image.

Marian artist Beverly Stoller works from her "Theotokos" art studio in Fairfield, Conn. She says a recent interest in iconography has led her to discover a new color scheme for Mary, based on historical representation in icons. Icons of Mary often show her wearing a greenish-blue inner garment with a red outer garment, Stoller says.

Answer 2

Virgin Mary Blue

Answer 3

A good question that anyone interested should be aware of the answer to.

Though you see the Virgin Mary wearing white in many images of the Immaculate Conception, and under her blue robes in other portraits, the color blue is most often associated with the Virgin Mary, both she and the living Christ wear blue mantles.

Blue symbolizes truth and clarity, it is the color of Heaven.

Ave Maria!

Answer 4

I don't think she appears more in blue than white. These two colors are often the colors she does appear in. Blue and white are the colors of Our Blessed Mother. In fact, it is an old Catholic tradition to dress a baptized infant in only blue and white for the first year of the baby's life after the baby has been consecrated to Mary. (meaning it is in her special care).

Answer 5

Good point. Blue usually connotes Heaven or the skies above. She's consistently wearing blue in artwork portraying her for the past several centuries. If she were to be portrayed as a perpetual virgin in artwork, then she indeed should be wearing white instead of blue.

Answer 6

White is the color for purity. Blue is the color for the Virgin Mary. Incidently, these are the two colors that Mother Theresa wore for those same reasons.

Answer 7

The artists' did not have enough white paint, as you add white to colors to make them a tint, & black to a color for shade. When I paint my all my Virgin Mary statues; I do a reinvention thing! After all, Madonna is the mother of reinvention! I apply a flesh color paint for her makeup foundation, give her eyeliner, and blush with a pretty color on her lips; if I want her garment white instead of blue, I change it. I hope this helps. http://www.madonna.com

Answer 8

It's an artist conception. Mary is dead and in her grave resting till Jesus' second coming according to the Bible.

Demons however like to impersonate her - want to hear some interesting stories about that? Contact me and I'll give you the sources!

Answer 9

even symbolically speaking blue is the colour used in healing and white used for the purity of spirit and innocence
so the colours would be fitting for Mary and Jesus

Answer 10

Because blue was the color of royalty back in her time. She was of royal blood.