This art print is a reproduction of my original black and white charcoal rendition of the Pelican in Her Piety or The Vulning Pelican.
DETAILS:
* Option of 8×10” unframed or 5×7” framed/unframed art print on archival matte paper
*Frame/unframed option
*Frame has option to stand or hang
*I DO NOT support nor use generative AI art. All artwork is entirely hand painted/sketched via traditional methods. Reproductions are professionally printed on archival paper.
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ABOUT THE VULNING PELICAN:
The Pelican in Her Piety, or the Vulning Pelican, is an ancient Christian symbol dating back to the Middle Ages. The first mention of the Vulning Pelican was in the Physiologus, a bestiary which contained anecdotes about animals and how they reflect deep theological truths.
Sometimes the animal attributes presented in bestiaries were legitimate animal behaviors, and other times these characteristics leaned more toward fiction. The intention of these bestiaries was not to share scientific facts, but rather deep theological truths in ways that were easy for people to understand.
The Physiologus has this to say about the Vulning Pelican:
“It is an exceeding lover of its young. If the pelican brings forth young and the little ones grow, they take to striking their parents in the face. The parents, however, hitting back kill their young ones and then, moved by compassion, they weep over them for three days, lamenting over those whom they killed. On the third day, their mother strikes her side and spills her own blood over their dead bodies (that is, of the chicks) and the blood itself awakens them from death.”
The Pelican therefore, is an allegory for Christ. In it we see the deep and profound love of God, who weeps over the sins of His children. At the sight of His beloved young laying dead in original sin, He chooses to shed His very own blood on the Cross as a means of salvation for us all. We, ugly pelican chicks that we are, die to our former selves, and receive new life in Christ.
The Pelican in Her Piety likewise calls to mind Christ’s Eucharistic self as spiritual nourishment for his children. This one sacrifice continues to be made available to us through the gift of the Mass, where we go to be nourished and spiritually fed by Christ’s own body and blood.
Today, you can often find images of the Vulning Pelican beneath altars of many Catholic Churches.
I have spent so much time with various renditions of the Vulning Pelican over the years. It is perhaps one of my favorite Christian symbols right next to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I have much more to share. But for now, I pray you may all spend some time seeking Jesus in the silence today.
This art print is a reproduction of my original black and white charcoal rendition of the Pelican in Her Piety or The Vulning Pelican.
DETAILS:
* Option of 8×10” unframed or 5×7” framed/unframed art print on archival matte paper
*Frame/unframed option
*Frame has option to stand or hang
*I DO NOT support nor use generative AI art. All artwork is entirely hand painted/sketched via traditional methods. Reproductions are professionally printed on archival paper.
**********************************************************
ABOUT THE VULNING PELICAN:
The Pelican in Her Piety, or the Vulning Pelican, is an ancient Christian symbol dating back to the Middle Ages. The first mention of the Vulning Pelican was in the Physiologus, a bestiary which contained anecdotes about animals and how they reflect deep theological truths.
Sometimes the animal attributes presented in bestiaries were legitimate animal behaviors, and other times these characteristics leaned more toward fiction. The intention of these bestiaries was not to share scientific facts, but rather deep theological truths in ways that were easy for people to understand.
The Physiologus has this to say about the Vulning Pelican:
“It is an exceeding lover of its young. If the pelican brings forth young and the little ones grow, they take to striking their parents in the face. The parents, however, hitting back kill their young ones and then, moved by compassion, they weep over them for three days, lamenting over those whom they killed. On the third day, their mother strikes her side and spills her own blood over their dead bodies (that is, of the chicks) and the blood itself awakens them from death.”
The Pelican therefore, is an allegory for Christ. In it we see the deep and profound love of God, who weeps over the sins of His children. At the sight of His beloved young laying dead in original sin, He chooses to shed His very own blood on the Cross as a means of salvation for us all. We, ugly pelican chicks that we are, die to our former selves, and receive new life in Christ.
The Pelican in Her Piety likewise calls to mind Christ’s Eucharistic self as spiritual nourishment for his children. This one sacrifice continues to be made available to us through the gift of the Mass, where we go to be nourished and spiritually fed by Christ’s own body and blood.
Today, you can often find images of the Vulning Pelican beneath altars of many Catholic Churches.
I have spent so much time with various renditions of the Vulning Pelican over the years. It is perhaps one of my favorite Christian symbols right next to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I have much more to share. But for now, I pray you may all spend some time seeking Jesus in the silence today.
