Mater Dolorosa (The Virgin Mary Mourning)

1897

Georges-Daniel de Monfreid

(French, 1856–1929)

Culture

France, 19th century

Medium

painted plaster and wood

Measurements

Framed: 73.7 x 59.1 x 17.8 cm (29 x 23 1/4 x 7 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 2002.54

You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Location

222 Impressionism & Post-Impressionism

ArtLens App

Description

This fragment was once part of a larger sculpture carved in low relief, where sculpted elements are raised from a flat background. The full sculpture depicted Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary flanking Christ on the cross. This section is the only surviving portion of Georges-Daniel de Monfreid’s original composition. This work combines painting and sculpture and was described in De Monfreid’s lifetime as “a sculpture by a painter.” De Monfreid was a close friend of Paul Gauguin whose painting
The Call (1943.392) also addressed the theme of spirituality in his work.