ED VESSEL: The brain is intimately attuned to the minute differences in shape and arrangement of the hands. For example, understanding the particular meaning conveyed by particular hand grasps.

NARRATOR: Due to the condition of this sculpture, some important hand gestures have been lost.

GRIFFITH MANN: You see the hands of the Virgin Mary reaching around to hold the Christ Child, but Christ's arms and hands are missing. His right hand, which is extended towards us, would have been making a gesture of blessing, with two fingers raised up. And then his left hand probably would have been holding a book representing the Word made Flesh in the figure of Christ.

MELANIE HOLCOMB: The hand is a powerful symbol for a Medieval viewer. Many, many images from the Middle Ages will sometimes only represent God by a hand, because the hand suggests that we can't understand the whole body, the whole outline of God.

NARRATOR: Learn about this sculpture’s context. Press play.