The J. Paul Getty Museum

The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin

Object Details

Title:

The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin

Artist/Maker:

Simon Bening (Flemish, about 1483 - 1561)

Culture:

Flemish

Place:

Bruges, Belgium (Place Created)

Date:

about 1525–1530

Medium:

Tempera colors, gold paint, and gold leaf on parchment

Object Number:

Ms. Ludwig IX 19 (83.ML.115), fol. 251v

Dimensions:

Leaf: 16.8 × 11.4 cm (6 5/8 × 4 1/2 in.)

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Object Description

In the center of the miniature, the Virgin sits on the ground with seven swords piercing her, each symbolizing one of the events related to Christ that brought her sorrow. The theme of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin was meant to draw the viewer into Mary's thoughts and feelings as she reflected on her son's life and death. Moving clockwise from the bottom right around the central image, small narrative scenes represent the seven episodes: the Presentation in the Temple, the Flight into Egypt, the Dispute in the Temple, the Way to Calvary, the Crucifixion, the Lamentation, and the Entombment.

Exhibitions
Exhibitions
The Queen of the Angels (August 15 to November 5, 2000)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), August 15 to November 5, 2000
Things Unseen: Vision, Belief, and Experience in Medieval Manuscripts (July 12 to September 25, 2016)
  • The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center (Los Angeles), July 12 to September 25, 2016