“Virgin Mary in the House of St. John” - a watercolor by the English pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti , created between 1857 and 1858 ; the work is currently in the collection of the Delaware Museum of Art [1] . Ruth Herbert became the model for the image of Mary , for the image of John posed by H. W. Fisher [2] .
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| Dante Gabriel Rossetti | ||
| Virgin Mary in the house of St. John . 1857-1858 | ||
| Mary in the House of St. John | ||
| Watercolor on paper. 45.7 × 35.6 cm | ||
| Delaware Museum of Art , Wilmington | ||
| ( inv. ) | ||
Christian-themed works created by young Pre-Raphaelites in the 1840s and 1850s often focused on scenes from the everyday life of biblical characters [1] . Rossetti's watercolor depicts the moment when Mary at sunset after the crucifixion visits the house of St. John . John is going to use a flint to light a lamp, which the Mother of God fills with oil; these actions of the characters are an allegory, symbolizing the onset of "dark times" between the death of Christ and his resurrection [3] . Like the Annunciation , Virgin Mary in the House of St. John became an experiment by an artist with a limited palette of colors [3] . The faces and hands of Mary and John are painted in bright colors, which reflect the colors of the distant sky - a symbol of the eschatological moment that they expect [3] . The rest of the watercolor is painted in brown and purple hues. In the center, between the figures of Mary and John, is the crosshair of the window, recreating the cross on which Jesus was crucified [3] . The viewer seems to be located in the back of the dark room and looks at the light source - the window and figures [3] .
Initially, the artist planned the work as part of the triptych with the “ Youth of the Virgin Mary ” as the central work, but this idea was not implemented by him [3] . William Michael Rossetti , wrote that “The Virgin Mary in the House of St. John” is “one of the best and most impressive works” of his brother [4] . Rossetti created two such watercolors; the first was ordered by Ellen Heaton, the picture was never finished. The second work was acquired by Lady Paulina Trevelyan [2] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Mary in the House of John . Delaware Art Museum. Date of treatment April 9, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 Mary in the House of St. John Rossetti Archive . Date of treatment April 9, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mary in the House of St. John Rossetti Archive . Date of treatment April 9, 2017.
- ↑ William Michael Rossetti. Dante Gabriel Rossetti as Designer and Writer . - Cassell & Company, Limited, 1889. - P. 17.