ANONYMOUS (ECUADORIAN, MID-18TH CENTURY)

The portrayal of, as well as the devotion of the faithful to the Holy Virgin Mary as Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother), dates back to the Church’s beginnings. Through the centuries the Church had codified her representation through the use of symbols or signifiers such as color, posture, and other visual elements that emphasized her prominent status and promoted dogma faithfully.

The image of the Virgin Mary mourning the loss of Jesus Christ after the Crucifixion was one that took hold in the Americas during the Viceregal period. Portraits of the Virgin are sometimes depicted with seven swords or daggers piercing her breast (the 'Seven Sorrows of the Virgin') or, as is the case in the present work, with just one, the first of the Sorrows, from the prophecy of Simeon: "This (Christ) Child is destined to be a sign which men reject; and you too shall be pierced to the heart" (Luke 2:34-5).

The present work is a beautifully rendered depiction of La Dolorosa. Executed in the mid-eighteenth century in Ecuador, the work bears strong iconographical references to works by Spanish and Italian baroque masters whose imagery likely circulated in the new world through prints and engravings. In the center of the composition, bathed in dramatic light from the heavens, the Virgin stands, hands clasped, a dagger piercing her breast. Just beyond her figure, visible only in part, is the cross upon which Jesus was crucified, and symbols of the Passion are strewn at her feet. Flanking the Virgin are cherubim and two guardian angels, one of whom crouches behind her figure weeping. Here, the Virgin’s humanity is palpable, eliciting empathy from those who behold her image. Her profound suffering is evident but there is also a sense of hope, as the Virgin looks beyond the scene, perhaps even beyond the earthy realm, in anticipation of Christ’s resurrection.