Virgin of Sorrows · Meditate on the Passion in the face of Mary

Alone, in a bust or at the foot of the Cross, the Mater Dolorosa concentrates the Passion in the face of the Virgin: tears, clasped hands, dark cloak and sword of pain construct an image of compassion.

Mater Dolorosa means "Painful Mother". This iconography shows the Virgin meditating on the sufferings and death of Christ. It is based in particular on the prophecy of Simeon, announcing that a sword will pierce the soul of Mary, and on her presence at the foot of the Cross. Medieval devotion gradually develops the memory of the Seven Sorrows: prophecy of Simeon, flight into Egypt, loss of Jesus in the Temple, meeting on the way to Calvary, Crucifixion, descent from the Cross and burial. In painting, the Mater Dolorosa can be isolated in bust, with reddened eyes and clasped hands, or appear in a diptych facing the Man of Sorrows. A sword, sometimes seven, crosses symbolically his heart; the blue or dark coat frames the face; tears give pain intimate precision. The subject is distinguished from the Pietà, where Mary carries the dead body of Christ, even if the two images share compassion. Titian opens his hands in a gesture of complaint. Murillo and Carlo Dolci favor collected beauty and immediately readable emotion. El Greco lengthens the face and cools the colors. Rembrandt uses shadow and material to give mourning human depth. These variations allow you to choose between devotional portrait, monumental presence and scene linked to the Cross. The "Mater Dolorosa" selection includes opposite Mater Dolorosa - Rembrandt and Mater Dolorosa with hands spread - Titian. His reading favors movement.

The Mater Dolorosa does not tell the whole Passion: she collects its memory in a face, a tear and a gesture.