1996.107 Virgin of Sorrows (La Dolorosa)

The elaborate decoration of this statue of the Virgin Mary, mother of Christ—including the painstaking estofado technique of applying gold and silver leaf on her mantle in layers over the paint—testifies to the importance of statues such as this as tools of worship for the Catholic churches in the New World. From the Renaissance onward, the Virgin Mary became a figure of special importance, particularly in her role as the Virgin of Sorrows (La Dolorosa).

The Virgin’s heaven-cast eyes, clasped hands, and mournful expression relate to the Seven Sorrows of her life: the prophecy of Simeon that Christ would be sacrificed for humanity, the Flight into Egypt, the temporary loss of Christ as a child in Jerusalem, the Road to Calvary, and the Crucifixion, Deposition, and Burial of Christ. First emphasized in 1239, the Feast of the Seven Sorrows of Mary soon spread throughout Europe and into the Spanish dominions of the New World.

Mexico (nation): TGN: 7005560

Guatemala (nation): TGN: 7005493

estofado (painting technique): AAT: 300182580

glass (material): AAT: 300010797

gold leaf: AAT: 300264831

paint (coating): AAT: 300015029

statues: AAT: 300047600

wood (plant material): AAT: 300011914

seventeenth century (dates CE): AAT: 300404511

eighteenth century: AAT: 300404512

Spanish Colonial (Spanish Renaissance-Baroque styles / styles and periods): AAT: 300107033

burials: AAT: 300263485

children (people by age group): AAT: 300025945

crucifixions (executions): AAT: 300404300

devotional objects: AAT: 300234144

grief: AAT: 300055162

Jerusalem (Israel): TGN: 7001371

mantles (lliclla / outerwear): AAT: 300212298

mothers: AAT: 300025932

mourning: AAT: 300238450

Roman Catholicism (Christianity): AAT: 300073730

Virgin Mary (Blessed Virgin Mary / Christian figure): DMA

worship: AAT: 300056005

By 1996: Johanna van Nest, Alamo, California [1] 

1996: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Beatrice M. Haggerty, purchase from above

The main source for this provenance is the letter from Beatrice M. Haggerty to Charles L. Venable of the Dallas Museum of Art, dated June 17, 1996, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records Object File. Exceptions and supporting documents are noted. 

[1] See the facsimile from Johanna Van Nest to Charles L. Venable of the Dallas Museum of Art, dated June 11, 1996, copy in Dallas Museum of Art Collections Records object file. 

Apply to objects where number equals 1996.107