Who painted The Virgin Swooning [recto]?

The Virgin Swooning [recto] was painted by Ford Madox Brown in 1844.

Where can I see The Virgin Swooning [recto]?

The Virgin Swooning [recto] is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Virgin Swooning [recto]?

The Virgin Swooning [recto] is associated with Pre-Raphaelite.

Can I buy a print of The Virgin Swooning [recto]?

Museum-quality prints of The Virgin Swooning [recto] are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Virgin Swooning [recto]

Ford Madox Brown , 1844

The Virgin Swooning [recto] is a chalk drawing by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Ford Madox Brown. It dates from 1844 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:by later hand, lower right in pen and brown ink: by Madox Brown; by later hand, center verso in graphite: Nr 20 / 20 Imp Mat

About this work

Overview

Created in 1844, The Virgin Swooning is a black‑chalk drawing on laid paper by British artist Ford Madox Brown. Executed in a graphic manner typical of his early Pre‑Raphaelite phase, the work presents a single figure in a moment of intense emotion, rendered with careful attention to line and shading.

Subject & Meaning

The composition focuses on a solitary woman, identified as the Virgin Mary, captured from behind as she raises her arms with open hands. The pose conveys a sense of anguish or supplication, suggesting a narrative moment of spiritual distress within a religious context.

Technique & Style

Brown employed black chalk to model the drapery and anatomy, using gradual tonal shifts to suggest the three‑dimensionality of the flowing robe. The drawing’s soft shading and precise line work reflect the Pre‑Raphaelite emphasis on detailed observation and a clear, narrative visual language.

History & Provenance

The drawing belongs to Brown’s early period, when he was developing a moral and historical subject matter that would later define his career. It remains part of a private collection, documented in the artist’s catalogue raisonné, and has been cited in studies of his formative graphic works.

Resurrection of Christ, Francesco Bartolozzi

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Artist & collection

Artist

Ford Madox Brown

Ford Madox Brown (16 April 1821 – 6 October 1893) was a British painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style.