Mater Dolorosa

Owing to their striking verisimilitude, busts of the grieving Virgin are surely among the most impressive of Spanish sculptures. They enjoyed great popularity in the late seventeenth century as objects of devotion, and large numbers were produced, particularly in Andalusia and Granada. The Mater Dolorosa does not illustrate a specific moment in the Virgin’s life, but rather a state of grief that transcends time. It is the very embodiment of pain. The compositional form has its roots in the medieval tradition of the reliquary bust in which mortal remains of venerated saints were preserved. The association with these reliquaries enhances the powerful presence of this Mater Dolorosa. In fact, the Madonna seems to be physically present and immediately accessible for the faithful. The inlaid eyes, overlaid with glass, and the appliqué glass tears convey the impression that Mary is shedding her bitter tears at this very moment. Doubtless her pain prompted in contemporary beholders the desired empathy with her despair and with the suffering of her son.