Curatorial Notes
This fragment was once part of a larger sculpture carved in low relief, where sculpted elements are raised from a flat background. The full sculpture depicted Mary Magdalene and the Virgin Mary flanking Christ on the cross. This section is the only surviving portion of Georges-Daniel de Monfreid’s original composition. This work combines painting and sculpture and was described in De Monfreid’s lifetime as “a sculpture by a painter.” De Monfreid was a close friend of Paul Gauguin whose painting The Call (1943.392) also addressed the theme of spirituality in his work.
Artwork Identification
Title Mater Dolorosa (The Virgin Mary Mourning)
Title (PT) Mater Dolorosa (A Virgem Maria das Dores)
Title (ES) Mater Dolorosa (La Virgen de los Dolores)
Artist Georges-Daniel de Monfreid
Artist Bio Georges-Daniel de Monfreid (French, 1856–1929)
Date 1897
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Cleveland Museum of Art
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
