From the Middle Ages to the Baroque · The Passion contemplated with Mary

The Mother of Sorrows concentrates the Passion of Christ in the figure of Mary: tears, clasped hands, dark cloak, Cross and sword reflect a pain that is both maternal and spiritual.

The Mother of Sorrows, also called Virgin of Sorrows or Mater Dolorosa, is an image of compassion. It is based on the prophecy of Simeon announcing that a sword will pierce the soul of Mary and on the presence of the Virgin during the Passion. Medieval devotion gradually organized the Seven Sorrows: prophecy, flight into Egypt, loss of Jesus in the Temple, meeting on the way to Calvary, Crucifixion, descent from the Cross and burial. The painting can show Mary alone in bust, facing the suffering Christ in a diptych, at the foot of the Cross or integrated into a narrative polyptych. The face, tears and hands then become the main places of expression. Titian animates pain through color and gesture. Memling constructs a silent figure adapted to close devotion. El Greco lengthens the face and spiritualizes the complaint with cold tones. Philippe de Champaigne gives mourning a classic rigor, particularly strong when the Cross inscribes the figure in the story. The subject is distinguished from the Pietà, where Mary carries the dead body of her son, even if the two iconographies invite the viewer to share compassion. This collection allows us to compare interior portrait, symbol, narrative scene and historical variations. The "Mother of Sorrows" selection notably compares Mater Dolorosa - Titian and Mater Dolorosa - Hans Memling. His reading favors the story.

The Mother of Sorrows transforms the Passion into interior memory: the Cross may disappear, but it remains present in Mary's gaze.