Mary's open palm in the iconography of the Virgin in medieval Nubia

A distinctive feature of many representations of the Virgin and Child known from Nubian wall paintings is the Virgin's right hand: it is held at breast height, open, and turned outward toward the viewer. The earliest-known Nubian examples are dated to the eighth century, with others to the eleventh and twelfth centuries. This article focuses on images of the open-palmed Mary from Faras, Old Dongola, and Abdallah-n Irqi (dating from the eight to the twelfth centuries); several such compositions appearing in wall paintings are described, with references to older versions and precursors from various regions of the ancient and Christian worlds. The article analyzes meaning of the gesture through a comparative method in the context of a range of artistic backgrounds. While the main focus is on the gesture's crucial significance in Nubian art, associated links in the broader iconographic tradition also emerge.