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Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowing Virgin)

Bust painting of a long-faced, light-skinned Virgin Mary crying, her bloodshot eyes looking downward. Draped white fabric surrounds her face below a blue black robe. The background is painted gold with black flecks.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • Bust painting of a long-faced, light-skinned Virgin Mary crying, her bloodshot eyes looking downward. Draped white fabric surrounds her face below a blue black robe. The background is painted gold with black flecks.

Date:

c. 1490

Artist:

Workshop of Dieric Bouts (Netherlandish, 1415–1475)

About this artwork

During the period of transition between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the great Netherlandish painters worked with traditional forms to create more human and emotional images for personal religious devotion. Paired images of the mourning Virgin and Christ crowned with thorns, made in the workshop of Dieric Bouts, were an especially successful formulation, judging from the many extant versions. Set against a gold background signifying a timeless, heavenly realm, the Virgin was both an embodiment of compassion and an intercessor for humankind with Christ. No autograph example of this pair by Bouts survives; this exceptionally fine painting of the Virgin was probably made by his son, Dieric Bouts the Younger, who carried on the activity of the workshop after his father’s death.

Status

On View, Gallery 202

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Workshop of Dieric Bouts

Title

Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowing Virgin)

Place

Netherlands (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1480–1500

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

38.7 × 30.3 cm (15 1/4 × 11 7/8 in.); Framed: 43.2 × 34 × 4.8 cm (17 × 13 3/8 × 1 7/8 in.)

Credit Line

Chester D. Tripp Fund; Chester D. Tripp Endowment; through prior acquisition of Max and Leola Epstein

Reference Number

1986.998

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/110673/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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