Mater Dolorosa (detail, oil on panel), Flemish School (15th century) by Anonymous Master, Groeningsmuseum, Bruges, Belgium
This detail from a panel depicting the Sorrowful Virgin (Mater Dolorosa) forms a diptych or pair with another panel which may once have been hinged, enabling the paintings to be easily opened and closed. The Virgin turns slightly towards our right; her gaze directed to the accompanying panel which portrays Christ as the Man of Sorrows. This type of diptych often less than the size of today’s paper-back enjoyed a great popularity as a devotional aid in the late Middle Ages. Flemish artists achieved great renown for their mastery of oil painting. The subtle modulations of colour and an exquisite attention to line enhance this portrait of a deep yet restrained sorrowful mother. Framed by immaculate white folds and crimping typical of a widow’s head-covering, the Virgin appears consumed by her grief. Her delicately red-rimmed eyes that continue to express pearl-shaped tears convey a sense of this mother’s near exhaustion as she contemplates her dead son. The artist’s skilful transformation of paint into life-like flesh and cloth helps us enter more deeply into the Virgin’s sorrow. The emotional truth highlighted in the painted illusion of her physical suffering captures our imagination. The gold background makes it hard for us to situate this episode from the Virgin’s life. If we try to imagine the flickering movement of candlelight against the shimmering gold within the picture, it’s natural to wonder how the original viewer might have responded. As happened in the case of ancient mosaics, the light reflected from candles symbolised the heavenly realm in contrast to the earthly world. The scene invites our prayerful gaze to embrace the promise of transforming love.
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