Artwork
The Virgin of Sorrows
The Virgin of Sorrows is an oil painting. It dates from 1749 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As an oil-on-canvas piece classified under religious art, the subject matter centres on the Virgin Mary's emotional experience of sorrow.
The work is a religious painting created in 1749 that depicts the figure of Mary emphasising her state of sadness. As an oil-on-canvas piece classified under religious art, the subject matter centres on the Virgin Mary's emotional experience of sorrow. The iconography relies on the direct portrayal of her grief, aligning with the title's reference to the Virgin of Sorrows.
While the artist remains anonymous, the composition serves as a representation of maternal grief within a spiritual context.
History & Provenance
The Virgin of Sorrows is dated to 1749 and is attributed to an anonymous painter within the religious genre. It is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessioned as 1982.445.1, and entered the museum's collection in 1982 as a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman. No documented commission or early provenance beyond its 1749 creation date is recorded in available sources.
Overview
This oil painting, titled The Virgin of Sorrows, presents a solitary female figure. The work depicts a woman whose countenance conveys profound grief, her hands clasped in a gesture of prayer or supplication. Her attire and the celestial emblem encircling her head identify her as a significant religious personage, likely the Virgin Mary in a moment of deep suffering.
Technique & Style
The artist utilized oil paint to render the figure with a sense of gravity and emotional depth. The palette features a prominent dark blue for the Virgin's outer garment, contrasted with a glimpse of red beneath, and highlighted by gold trim. A luminous golden halo, dotted with stars, frames her head, drawing attention to her sorrowful face. The composition focuses intently on the figure's pensive expression and gesture, conveying her distress.
Artist & collection
