Friday, September 15, 2023

Our Lady of Sorrows, The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary

Simon Bening, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
from the Prayer Book of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg
Flemish (Bruges), c.1525-1530
Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum
MS Ludwig IX 19, fol. 251v





      September 15 is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. To non-Catholics it may look like yet another in a series of Marian feast days that honor Mary under various titles that begin with "Our Lady of........", usually followed by a place name (Fatima, Lourdes, Walsingham, etc.) This one is a little different. So, where does this title for the Virgin Mary come from? Well, some people may be astonished for find that it comes from the Bible, from the Gospel of Luke, in fact.


      When Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon, the old man who had been awaiting the arrival of the Messiah, recognized the Baby as the One and greeted Him appropriately with the beautiful song of praise which is known as the Nunc Dimittis.* Then Saint Luke tells us that
      “The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
      (Luke 2:32-35, one of two Gospel readings which may be used for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, italics are mine,)
      This piercing of the heart of Mary in connection with the life of her Son came true as Simeon stated (or rather as the retrospection of the Gospel writer intended) and was magnified in pious tradition to become the Seven Sorrows of Mary, each Sorrow an episode in her life and that of Jesus.



      The Seven Sorrows are:
      1.  The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
      2.  The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
      3.  Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
      4.  Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
      5.  Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
      6.  The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
      7.  The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)1

      Artists have shown different ways of depicting Mary’s sorrows and her response to them.



      Because the greatest number of Sorrows are related to the Passion of Christ, the predominant manner in which Mary’s sorrows has been depicted is as part of the Passion narrative. Following the hints found in the Gospels Mary has appeared in the crowd following Jesus as He carries the cross, she has been depicted in an agony of grief as she stands at the foot of the cross, supported by St. John the Evangelist and her female companions.


      Following Jesus on His Journey to Golgotha

      Simone Martini, Jesus Carrying the Cross
      Italian, 1333
      Paris, Musée du Louvre


        Jean le Noir, Jesus Carrying the Cross
        From the Petites Heures de Jean de Berry
        French (Paris), c. 1375
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        Latin 18014, fol. 86v





        The Master of Hoogstraeten, The Road to Calvary and Flight into Egypt
        Third panel from the left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
        Flemish, c. 1510-1520
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium




      Standing at the Cross



        The Crucifixion
        From the Rabbula Gospels
        Syrian (Beth Zagba), c. 586
        Florence, Bibliotheca Medicea-Laurenziana
        MS. Plut. I. 56, fol. 12v-13r





        The Crucifixion
        From a Gospel Book
        English (Canterbury), c. 1060-1070
        New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
        MS M 709, fol. 1v






        The Crucifixion
        From a Lectionary
        German (Saxony), c. 1215-1235
        New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
        MS M 299, fol. 6r




        Duccio, The Crucifixion
        Italian, 1308-1311
        Siena, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo




        Rogier van der Weyden, The Crucifixion
        Flemish, c.1445
        Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum





        Francesco Granacci. The Crucifixion
        Italian, c.1510
        New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art






        The Master of Hoogstraeten, The Crucifixion
        Fourth panel from the left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
        Flemish, c. 1510-1520
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium





      Beyond the Gospels narratives, logical conclusion has meant that she also appears, similarly afflicted, in the great Pietà mages, and as the chief mourner at scenes of the entombment.

      The Pietà (Mary Mourning Her Son after His Removal from the Cross)


        Anonymous, The Röttgen Pietà
        German, c. 1300
        Bonn, Rheinisches Landesmuseum






        The Pietà
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        French (Alsace), c. 1370-1380
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Latin 511, fol. 48r





        Roberto d'Oderisi, The Pietà
        Italian, c. 1370
        Private Collection






        The Master of Albocassar, The Virgin in Grief
        Spanish, c. 1400-1420
        Paris, Musée du Louvre






        The Pieta of Tarascon
        French (Provencal), c. 1450-1475
        Paris, Musée de Cluny, Musée nationale du Moyen Age





        Enguerrand Quarton, The Pietà of Villeneuve-les-Avignon
        French, c. 1460
        Paris, Musée du Louvre







        The Master of Edward IV, Pietà
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        Flemish (Bruges), c. 1485
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Francais 6275, fol. 48r





        Michelangelo Buonarroti, The Pietà
        Italian, 1499
        Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica







      The Entombment of Jesus




        Taddeo Gaddi, The Entombment of Jesus
        Italian, c.1335-1340
        Florence, Church of Santa Croce, Cappella di Bardi di Vernio





        Fra Angelico, The Entombment of Christ
        Italian, c. 1438-1440
        Munich, Bayerische Stratagemädesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek





        The Entombment of Jesus
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        French, c. 1450
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Francais 188, fol. 51r




        The Master of Hoogstraeten, The Burial and Lamentation of Christ
        Fifth Panel from the Left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
        Flemish, c. 1510-1520
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts





        The Master of the Autun Triptych, The Entombment of Christ
        French, c. 1512-1530
        Dolem, Musée des Beaux-Arts




        Guercino, The Entombment of Christ
        Italian, 1656
        Chicago, Arts Institute





      These are, however, entirely narrative images, and narrative images account for only a small percentage of the images of the Virgin Mary as the woman of sorrow, the Mater Dolorosa. 2



      Art can be used to tell a story, as with narrative images. But, it can also transmit ideas and can do it, frequently, in a more direct and easily grasped form than can be done in words. As the old adage states, “One picture is worth a thousand words”. Consequently, several other modes of depicting the Sorrows of Mary have been used over time.





      A Series of Pictures


      One of the earliest modes was as a series of pictures, usually in manuscripts of the popular lay text the Speculum humanae salvationis, which was one of the “best-sellers” of the late medieval world. Through a combination of pictures and texts, lay people were offered a way to understand the Gospels and to meditate on aspects of the faith. These were not the carefully planned and painstakingly executed works that were intended for the clergy or the nobility, such as are found in service books, Gospel books or the numerous Books of Hours. These were quickly, even crudely executed works, that still have a certain ability to tell a story quickly through what amount to sketches. For the illustrations below I have chosen a few samples from different books of the first three of the Sorrows: the prophecy of Simeon, the Flight into Egypt and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple.




        The Prophecy of Simeon, Joseph Warned to Flee to Egypt and Jesus Found in the Temple
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        Italian (Bologna), c. 1350-1400
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Arsenal 593, fol. 39v





        The Flight into Egypt and Jesus Found in the Temple
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        French (Alsace), c. 1370-1380
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Latin 511, fol. 46





        The Flight into Egypt and Jesus Found in the Temple
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        French, c. 1450
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Francais 188, fol. 50




        The Master of Edward IV, Flight into Egypt and Mary and Joseph Searching for Jesus
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        Flemish (Bruges), c. 1485
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Francais 6275, fol.47r
          This copy of the Speculum was obviously executed for a more upscale client than the other works in this section.





      Later, as printing replaced illumination painters produced cycles of paintings of the individual sorrows, as well as paintings that contain references to the seven, as I will discuss later.



      The Mater Dolorosa


      Another early development was to, in effect, extract the image of the sorrowing Virgin Mary from images of the Crucifixion and place her upper body in the center of the picture frame. This gives us the image known as the Mater Dolorosa, the Sorrowing Mother. This image became most popular first in the Low Countries in the fifteenth century and eventually spread throughout Europe with repercussions all the way into the twentieth century.




        The Mater Dolorosa
        Spanish (Valencia), c. 1450s
        London, National Gallery




        Jean Colombe, The Mater Dolorosa opposite a text of the Stabat Mater
        From the Hours of Anne of France
        French (Bourges), 1473
        New York, Pierpoont Morgan Library
        MS M 677, fol. 38r




        Hans Memling, The Mater Dolorosa
        German, c. 1480-1490
        Florence, Gallerie degli Uffizi





        Simon Marmion, The Mater Dolorosa
        French, 1480
        Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts




        Workshop of Dirk Bouts, The Mater Dolorosa
        Dutch, c. 1410-1475
        Chicago, Art Institute





        Paolo de San Leocadio, The Mater Dolorosa
        Italian, c. 1482-1484
        Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado





        Titian, The Mater Dolorosa with Closed Hands
        Italian, 1554
        Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado






        Titian, The Mater Dolorosa with Open Hands
        Italian, 1555
        Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado





        El Greco, The Mater Dolorosa
        Greco-Spanish, c. 1590s
        Strasbourg, Musée des Beaux-Arts





        Jusepe de Ribera, The Mater Dolorosa
        Spanish, 1638
        Kassel, Staatliche Museen




        Studio of Sassoferrato, The Mater Dolorosa
        Italian, c. 1650
        Oxford (UK), Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeology






      Over time the focus moved from the face and hands to the entire body of the Virgin Mary and references to the Passion were added but, for the most part, artists still concentrated on a close up view of Mary's mourning.




        Philippe de Champaigne, The Virgin of Sorrows at the Foot of the Cross
        Flemish, c. 1650
        Paris, Musée du Louvre




        Elisabetta Sirani, The Mater Dolorosa
        Italian, 1657
        Braunschweig, Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum





        Bartolome Esteban Murillo, La Dolorosa
        Spanish, c. 1660-1670
        Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado





        Francesco Solimena, The Mater Dolorosa
        Italian, c. 1723
        Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister





        Rosalba Carriera, The Mater Dolorosa
        Italian, c. 1720-1750
        Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister





        Christoforo Unterperger, The Virgin of Sorrows Surrounded by Angels
        Italian, c. 1780
        Paris, Musée du Louvre




        Johann Peter Krafft, The Mater Dolorosa
        Austrian, c. 1840-1850
        Vienna, Belvedere Museum





        Jose Peyret Alcanyiz, La Dolorosa
        Spanish. c. 1840
        Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado





      In the aftermath of the First World War artists expressed the grief of millions of mothers by referring back to the image of the Mater Dolorosa.


        Jakob Smits, The Mater Dolorosa
        Dutch, c. 1920s
        Brussels, Musées royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique





        Harry Clarke, The Mother of Sorrows Window
        Irish, 1926
        Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland








      Although the subject of the Mater Dolorosa is primarily expressed through painting, sculptors also contributed to this iconography, usually with full length statues, but sometimes with bust or half-length images. Like the painted images, this sculptural tradition developed from representations of the Virgin Mary at the Crucifixion.


        Virgin from a Deposition Scene
        Italian, c. 1225-1250
        Paris, Musée du Cluny, Musée nationale du Moyen Age







        The Mater Dolorosa
        Flemish, c. 1500-1520
        Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Sculptures du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes







        The Mater Dolorosa
        Fragment of an Altarpiece
        French, c. 1520
        Paris, Musée de Cluny, Musée nationale du Moyen Age





        Germain Pilon, The Mater Dolorosa
        French, c. 1586
        Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Sculptures du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes







        Francois Girardon, The Mater Dolorosa
        French, 1657
        Paris, Musée du Louvre





        Our Lady of Sorrows
        Spanish Colonial (New Mexico), 17th-18th Century
        Cleveland, Museum of Art






      The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa



      A similar image of Mary as the Mater Dolorosa was occasionally paired with the image of Jesus as the Man of Sorrows. This was sometimes done within a single picture (a painting or a print) or it may be accomplished by a diptych, a two-panel hinged format. In seventeenth-century Spain, it frequently took the form of highly realistic, bust or three-quarter figural sculptures.



        The Master of the Stories of Mary in Aachen, The Man of Sorrows and 
        the Mater Dolorosa
        German, c. 1485
        Aachen, Domschatzkammer







        After Lucas van Leyden, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
        Dutch, 16th Century
        Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum





        Wolf Traut, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
        German, 1512
        Washington, National Gallery of Art
        The inscription at the bottom of the image reads "Aspice qui transis quia tu mihi causa doloris", which translates to an admonition to the viewer "Behold, you are the cause of my pain", thus reminding the viewer that Christ suffered for our sins.








        Hans Holbein the Younger, Diptych with Christ as the Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
        German, c. 1520
        Basel, Kunstmuseum






        Adriaen Isenbrant, Ecce Homo with the Mourning Virgin
        Flemish, c. 1530-1540
        New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art






        Bartolome Esteban Murillo, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa
        Spanish, c. 1670-1675
        Private Collection






        Pedro de Mena, The Ecce Homo and the Mater Dolorosa
        Spanish, c. 1674-1685
        New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art






      The Mater Dolorosa Pierced by a Sword

      Another group of images takes the subject of Our Lady of Sorrows in a different, more symbolic direction. This is the group that I call The Sword-Pierced Mater Dolorosa. In these images the Virgin Mary is pierced, or about to be pierced, with swords, numbering anywhere from one to seven. They offer a literal interpretation of the words of Simeon from Saint Luke's Gospel, including images in which the sword approaches her directly from the body of Christ on the Cross. For these, she can be either sitting or standing.


        Ivory Pax with the Crucifixion, Mary Pierced by a Sword
        South German, c. 1360-1370
        New York, Metropolitan Museum, The Cloisters


      A pax is an object long out of use in the Catholic liturgy. Paxes were small plaques with scenes from the Passion or scenes with Eucharistic references that were passed among the congregation at Mass following the consecration, where today we give the sign of peace. However, it also sometimes served as a substitute for the Eucharist itself. In the middle ages the laity did not usually receive Holy Communion except at Easter. The pax was a very inadequate substitute for the actual Eucharist, but it did give people a small sense of participation in this part of the liturgy, while allowing them to skip the very strict Eucharistic fast. With the encouragement of frequent Communion for the laity that was ushered in following the reforms of the Council of Trent the pax was mostly abandoned. 4




        Our Lady of Sorrows Pierced by Swords
        German, 15th Century
        Sendenhorst (Kreis Warendorf), Catholic Parish Church of Saint Ludgarus





        The Crucifixion, Mary Pierced by a Sword
        From the Speculum humanae salvationis
        French, c. 1450
        Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
        MS Francais 188, fol. 50v




        Our Lady of Sorrows Venerated by Vladislav II of Bohemia and Hungary
        From a Prayer Book Probably Made for Vladislav II, king of Bohemia and Hungary
        Polish (Cracow), c. 1470-1480
        Oxford, University of Oxford, Bodleian Libraries
        MS Rawl. liturg. d. 6, fol. 42v





        Anonymous, Mary Pierced by Seven Swords
        Netherlandish, c. 1500-1525
        London, Trustees of the British Museum




        The Mater Dolorosa
        Flemish, First Half of the 16th Century
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts




        Our Lady of Sorrows with Donors
        French, c. 1500-1525
        Champlitte, Parish Church of Saint Christopher




        The Master of the Goslar Sibyls, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa Pierced by Swords
        Chapel of the Trinity
        German, c. 1501-1515
        Goslar, Rathaus, Reception Hall



        This rather unusual use of the images of the Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa places the images on the doors of a chapel.



        The Master of the Goslar Sibyls, The Man of Sorrows and the Mater Dolorosa (close up view)
        Chapel of the Trinity
        German, c. 1501-1515
        Goslar, Rathaus, Reception Hall



        Mary Pierced by Seven Swords
        German, c. 1510-1520
        Euskirchen, Elsig, Catholic Parish Church of the Holy Cross



        The Master of Hoogstraeten, Mary Pierced by a Sword
        Sixth Panel from the Left of the Seven Sorrows Altarpiece
        Flemish, c. 1510-1520
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts



        Hans Springinklee, Our Lady of Sorrows as the Garden of the Soul
        German, 1518
        Dresden, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Kupferstich-Kabinett




        Jacob Conneliszoon, Our Lady of Sorrows
        From Die Kleine Passion
        Dutch, c. 1520-1521
        Dresden, Kupferstich-Kabinett





        Mary Pierced by the Sword at the Foot of the Cross
        From a Prayer Book
        Flemish (Antwerp), c. 1525
        The Hague, Museum Meermano
        MS MMW 10 E 4-078r



        Workshop of the Master of the David Scenes in the Grimani Breviary, Stabat Mater Illustration
        From a Book of Hours
        Flemish (Bruges), c. 1525-1530
        New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
        MS M 1175, fol. 215r



        Johann Sadeler after Christoph Schwarz, Mary Pierced by the Sword
        German, c. 1588 -1595
        Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum




        Bronze Morse (clasp for a cope), Mary Pierced by Seven Swords with Two Saints
        Spanish, 17th Century
        Ecouen, Musée national de la Renaissance




        Our Lady of Sorrows (Notre Dame du Pitie)
        Detail of an Altarpiece
        French, 17th Century
        Figeac, Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Pitie




        Our Lady of Sorrows
        French, 17th Century
        Laon, Church of Notre-Dame





        Our Lady of Sorrows as the Pietà
        German, 17th Century
        London, Victoria and Albert Museum





        Pierre Firens, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        Franco-Flemish, c. 1600-1639
        Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum





        Possibly Peeter van Baelen, Virgin of the Seven Sorrows
        Flemish, c. 1600-1635
        Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Objets d'art du Moyen Age, de la Renaissance et des temps modernes





        Peter Overadt, Mater Dolorosa
        German, c. 1601
        Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek




        Schelte Adamszoon Bolswert, After Abraham Bloemaert, Mary Pierced by Seven Swords
        Dutch, c. 1612-1615
        Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum





        Cornelis de Vos, Mater Dolorosa
        Flemish, 1620
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts





        Antoon Paydherbe, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
        Flemish, 1626
        Mechelen, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijlekerk





      Frederic Brentel, The Mater Dolorosa
      From the Hours of  Guillaume de Bade
      French, 1647
      Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France
      MS Latin 10567, p. 256




        Cornelis Galle After Anthony van Dyck, The Mater Dolorosa
        Flemish, Before 1650
        San Francisco, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco






        Cornelis Van Poelenburg, The Mater Dolorosa
        Dutch, c. 1630-1665
        Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek






        Paolo Naldini, Our Lady of Sorrows
        Italian, c. 1639
        Rome, Church of San Marcello al Corso, Capella della Madonna dei Sette Dolori








        Attributed to Marc Antonio de Santis, Saints Augustine and Philip Binizzi (member of the Order of Servites) Interceding before Our Lady of Sorrows for the Souls in Purgatory
        Italian, c. 1650-1681
        Ortiporio (Corsica), Parish Church






        Giovanni Battista Gaulli Called Baciccio, Our Lady of Sorrows with Saints Augustine and Nicholas of Tolentine
        Italian, c. 1650-1709
        Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des Arts graphique







        Willem van der Leeuw After Peter Paul Rubens, The Mater Dolorosa
        Flemish, Before 1665
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts





        Follower of Frencesco Trevisani, Mary Pierced by the Sword
        Italian, c. 1700
        Private Collection








        Holy Water Font with Our Lady of Sorrows
        Italian, 18th Century
        Saint-Omer, Musée de l'hôtel Sandelin






        The Virgin of Sorrows
        Spanish Colonial (Possibly Mexican), 18th Century
        New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art






        The Virgin of Sorrows
        Spanish Colonial (Possibly Mexican), 18th Century
        New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art




        Domenico Noferi, Madonna dell'Adolorata
        Italian, 1754
        Florence, Church of Santissima Annunziata






        Miguel Cabrera, Our Lady of Sorrows Surrounded by the Trinity, Various Saints and the Souls in Purgatory
        Mexican, c. 1760
        Location Unknown







        Jose Camaron Bonanat, La Dolorosa
        Spanish, c. 1785-1790
        Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado






        Our Lady of Sorrows
        French, c. 1800-1850
        Brehan, Church of Notre-Dame






        Our Lady of Sorrows Ring
        Italian, c. 1800-1850
        London, Victoria and Albert Museum






        Louis Stanislas Marin-Lavigne After Murillo, Mater Dolorosa
        French, c. 1830-1860
        Edinburgh, National Galleries of Scotland, Scottish National






        Notre-Dame des Sept Douleurs lithograph
        French, c. 1875-1900
        Epinal, Musée de l'image






        D. Darquet, Stained Glass
        French, 1879
        Villers-Bocage, Parish Church of Saint Georges





        Vicente Aznar, Our Lady of Sorrows
        Spanish, 19th Century
        Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional de Espaňa







        John Singer Sargent, The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary
        American, c. 1890-1916
        Boston, Boston Public Library





        Statue of Our Lady of Sorrows
        French, c. 1895
        Thorame-Bass, Parish Church






        Processional Figure of Our Lady of Sorrows
        Spanish, Contemporary







      The Seven Sorrows


      The final category consists of paintings that attempt to show the image of Mary, either the Sorrowing Mother or the Sword-Pierced Woman, surrounded by depictions of the Seven Sorrows themselves. This image seems to have been popular from about the beginning of the fifteenth century to about the middle of the sixteenth century, with some late appearing outriders. It exists in all media, miniature painting, panel painting, enamels, drawings and prints, nearly all of them hailing from northern Europe. No doubt there are (or were) images in the medium of sculpture as well. We must bear in mind that there was a great deal of destruction wrought on images in northern Europe during the Reformation and its aftermath. The media mentioned above are easier to transport and to hide than all but the smallest items of sculpture. So, there has likely been disproportionate damage to sculpture in those countries where this particular image has been most prevalent.


        Jean le Tavernier, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        From a Book of Hours
        Flemish (Ghent), c. 1425-1450
        London, British Library
        MS Additional 19416, fol. 8v





        The Master of Isabella di Chiaromonte, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        From a Book of Hours
        Dutch (Delft), 1460-1520
        New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
        MS M 71, fol.12v






        The Master of Cornelis Croesinck, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        From the Croesinck Hours
        Dutch, 1489-1499
        New York, Pierpont Morgan Museum
        MS M 1078, fol.104v






        Albrecht Durer, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        German, c.1496
        Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek






        Master S, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        Flemish, c. 1600
        Dresden, Sächsische Landesbibliothek






        Master S, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        Flemish, c. 1500-1525
        London, Trustees of the British Museum





        Simon Bening, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        From the Da Costa Hours
        Belgian (Bruges), 1510-1520
        New York, Pierpont Morgan Library
        MS M 399, fol. 92v





        Adriaen Isenbrandt, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        Flemish, 1518-1535
        Bruges, Church of Our Lady





        Monogrammist S, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        Dutch, c. 1516-1545
        Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum





        Herik Douverman, Altar of the Seven Joys and the Seven Sorrows
        Dutch, c. 1518-1522
        Kalkar Kreis Kleve, Catholic Parish Church of Saint Nicholas





        The Master of the Magdalen Legend, The Seven Sorrows of Mary with Donors and Their Patrons, Saints Christopher and Catherine of Alexandria
        Called The Ashwellthorpe Triptych
        Flemish, c. 1515-1525
        Norfolk (UK), Norfolk Castle Museum and Art Gallery




        Bernard van Orley, Center Panel of the Triptych of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows
        Flemish, c. 1520-1535
        Besancon, Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archeologie





        Adriaen Ysenbrandt, The Virgin of the Seven Sorrows
        Flemish, 1521
        Brussels, Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium





        Bernard van Orley, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        Flemish, 1526
        Antwerp, Royal Museum of Fine Arts





        Jan Baegert, The Seven Sorrows of Mary
        German, c. 1528-1530
        Cologne, Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln






        Workshop of Pierre Reymond, Enamel Plaque with the Seven Sorrows of Mary and Two Donors
        France, 1533
        New York, The Frick Collection






        Giorgio Ghisi, The Mater Dolorosa Surrounded by the Seven Sorrows
        Italian, c. 1575
        Philadelphia, Museum of Art





        The Master of the Half-Lengths, The Virgin of the Seven Sorrows
        Flemish, Late 16th Century
        Barcelona, Museu Nacional d'Art de Cataluňa





        Hieronymous Wierix after Jan Luyken, Our Lady of Sorrows
        Flemish, 1581
        Philadelphia, Museum of Art
        The inscription reads "Behold, he is set here for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and as a sign to whom he will be contradicted: and a sword will pierce your soul above, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." These are the words of the prophet Simeon, related in the Gospel account of Saint Luke (Luke 2:32-35).





        Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
        French, 17th Century
        Bourg-en-Bresse, Church of Saint-Nicolas-de-Tolentin






        Workshop of Penicaud, Enamel Plaque of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows
        French, c. 1615
        London, Trustees of the British Museum





        Paul Fürst, The Seven Sorows of Mary
        German, 1626
        Wolfenbüttel, Herzog August Bibliothek






      Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows


      Devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows was initially associated with the religious Order of the Servants of Mary, called the Servites. They were founded in 1233 by a group of seven pious laymen who were Florentine wool merchants. They had belonged to a lay confraternity with a devotion to Mary. However, like their contemporary Saint Francis, they gave up their prosperous careers and retreated to a village outside Florence where they established a religious community. Eventually they made their way to a nearby mountain and laid the foundations for a religious order of men. It was given approval by the bishop of Florence at some point in the mid-1240s as the Order of Friars Servants of Mary.


        Our Lady of Sorrows
        German, c. 1750-1800
        Motten. Parish Church of St. Matthew



      One of the primary factors in the spirituality of the Servites over the centuries has been devotion to Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows, as the Mater Dolorosa. Their black habit was established as a reminder or Mary’s dress as a widow. In 1692 Our Lady of Sorrows was officially declared to be the patroness of the order.3



      © M. Duffy, 2017, Revised with addition of material and new images, 2022.

      ______________________________________________________
      * “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,
      for my eyes have seen your salvation,
      which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,
      a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
      and glory for your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32)


      1. This neat listing of the sorrows with their accompanying text references comes from  https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2017-09-15
      2.  Mary, as the Mater Dolorosa, has also been described in poetry, specifically the poem called the Stabat Mater, usually attributed to the Franciscan 
      Jacopone da Todi toward the end of the thirteenth century, which imagines the scene at the foot of the Cross, imagines Mary’s reaction to what is happening and prays to be united with her in her sufferings. It has been set to music by many composers, including Palestrina, Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Haydn, Rossini, Poulenc and Arvo Part, to name just the ones I’m personally familiar with. A chant version (with an English translation) is probably familiar to many since it is often used during communal celebration of the Stations of the Cross. It is also one of the few surviving sequences (hymns that precede the reading of the Gospel on feast days), being an optional sequence for the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. See https://www.stabatmater.info/ A sampling of various settings of the words can be found at https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stabat+mater
    3.  For information about the Order of Servites see http://www.servite.org/
    Meehan, Andrew. "Pax." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11594b.htm




    Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.







    1 comment:

    Anonymous said...

    I'd build, Madonna, love, for my belief,
    An altar in the dim crypt of my grief,
    And in the darkest comer of my heart,
    From mortal lust and mockery far apart,
    Scoop you a niche, with gold and azure glaze,
    Where you would stand in wonderment and gaze,
    With my pure verses trellised, and all round
    In constellated rhymes of crystal bound:
    And with a huge tiara richly crowned.
    Out of the Jealousy which rules my passion,
    Mortal Madonna, I a cloak would fashion,
    Barbarous, stiff, and heavy with my doubt,
    Whereon as in a fourm you would fill out
    And mould your lair. Of tears, not pearls, would be
    The sparkle of its rich embroidery:
    Your robe would be my lust, with waving flow,
    Poising on tips, in valleys lying low,
    And clothing, in one kiss, coral and snow.
    In my Respect (for satin) you'll be shod
    Which your white feet would humble to the clod,
    While prisoning their flesh with tender hold
    It kept their shape imprinted like a mould.
    If for a footstool to support your shoon,
    For all my art, I could not get the moon,
    I'd throw the serpent, that devours my vitals
    Under your trampling heels for his requitals,
    Victorious queen, to spurn, bruise, and belittle
    That monstrous worm blown-up with hate and spittle.
    Round you my thoughts like candles should be seen
    Around the flowered shrine of the virgins' Queen,
    Reflected on a roof that's painted blue,
    And aiming all their golden eyes at you.
    Since nought is in me that you do not stir,
    All will be incense, benjamin, and myrrh,
    And up to you, white peak, in clouds will soar
    My stormy soul, in rapture, to adore.

    In fine, your role of Mary to perfect
    And mingle barbarism with respect —
    Of seven deadly sins, O black delight!
    Remorseful torturer, to show my sleight,
    I'll forge and sharpen seven deadly swords
    And like a callous juggler on the boards,
    Taking it for my target, I would dart
    Them deep into your streaming, sobbing heart.