In the late medieval period the Visitation had become a familiar subject in works of art. Gradually the story of the meeting between the Virgin Mary and Elisabeth emerged as the focus of devotional practices that culminated in the introduction of a new liturgical feast of the Visitation in 1389. Simultaneously with the dissemination of the new feast across Europe, the Visitation also appeared as a new subject at the centre of altarpieces. Transferred to the authoritative context of the altarpiece, the narrative subject represented a combination of the traditional devotional function of the altarpiece and the visual representation of a story.

In this study some important paintings of the Visitation are analysed in separate case studies. The altarpieces of the Visitation produced towards the end of the fifteenth century highlight the importance of a cult of the Visitation in late fifteenth-century Florence. The roots of this cult can be traced back to late medieval spirituality originating in the environment of Dominican convents. As a Christian mystery the Visitation focused on the pregnancy of the Virgin and the blessing of John the Baptist in his mother’s womb. As a visual representation at the centre of an altarpiece, both the mystery and the narrative were presented to the viewer for contemplation.

Tutkimus käsittelee Marian ja Elisabetin kohtaamiseen liittyvän uskonnollisen kultin historiaa ja sen ilmenemismuotoja 1400-luvun italialaisessa taiteessa. Teos esittelee italialaisen alttarimaalaustaiteen tärkeää murroskautta, jolloin pyhiin kertomuksiin perustuvia narratiivisia aiheita yhä useammin sijoitettiin alttarimaalauksen keskelle pääaiheeksi.
Kirjassa pohditaan, miten narratiivinen aihe muutti katsojan suhtautumista alttarimaalaukseen ja sen tärkeäksi koettuun tehtävään herättää uskonnollisia tunteita.