Mater Dolorosa
unknown
Basic information
- ID
- Ж-1940
- Author
- unknown
- Name
- Mater Dolorosa
- Technique
- oil painting
- Material
- canvas oil
- Dimensions (height x width, cm)
- 49 x 41
Additionally
- Type
- painting icon
- Genre
- religious
- Plot
- Mater Dolorosa
- Provenance
- Museum of Jan III Sobieski in Lviv
- Exposition
- Potocki Palace
Information about author
Object description
The Sorrowful Mother – a mother who eternally mourns the death of her only Son; the image of the Virgin Mary standing by the cross of Jesus. This iconographic type became widespread in the late fifteenth century. The breasts of the Virgin are often depicted pierced with a sword, alluding to Simeon's words in the Gospel of Luke 2:22-38: "…a sword will pierce your soul too so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare". The Virgin Mary is sometimes portrayed as pierced by seven swords, symbolising the "Seven Sorrows" she endured. The theme of the Sorrowful Mother was used by many significant artists from various eras, including Titian, El Greco, Murillo, and Giovanni Battista Salvi. "Mater Dolorosa" is one of the three common artistic representations of the Sorrowful Virgin Mary, with the other two being "Stabat Mater" and "Pieta". This painting is possibly a copy of Giovanni Battista Salvi Sassoferrato's (1609–1685) work "The Madonna in Sorrow", 1685 (Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy). The Virgin Mary gazes into the distance, contemplating the Passion of her Son, with her hands folded in prayer and hope. Salvi was an Italian Baroque artist known for archaic adherence to Raphael's style. The artist is often referred to only by the name of the town of his birth, Sassoferrato, as was the custom of his time. His works were highly regarded until the mid-nineteenth century, and at times, they were thought to belong to Raphael's School.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
