Throughout the last 2000 years, no woman has been depicted as often as the mother of Jesus. What do the many portraits of Mary, created over the centuries, say about the artists and their times? And what does Mary mean to people past and present?

As her cult intensifies, Mary is presented as a leader of armies and as a political figure calling for change; but, with the advent of the Reformation, she also becomes a point of contention between Catholics and Protestants.