Mater Dolorosa

536
Mater Dolorosa
beginning 17th c.
Palma the Younger, known as il Giovane

The painting features an early Baroque portrayal of the Virgin as a mother mourning for the Passion and Death of Christ. The dramatic effect is achieved by the strong lines and gestures of the face, the hands clasped in prayer and the tears. The dramatic imagery is further accentuated by contrasting the warm dark-brown tones to the light ones on the Virgin's silvery-white scarf and ivory face. This type of Virgin stems from the Venetian High Renaissance Madonna with emphasized sharp facial features.