Flemish school; XVI century.

Flemish school; XVI century.
"Virgin Dolorosa".
Oil on oak panel.
It presents restorations in the pictorial surface.
Measurements: 23 x 20 cm; 42 x 42 cm (frame).
In this image the author presents the Virgin in a monumental way, which is enhanced with the use of a low point of view with respect to the figure of the protagonist. The large hands in prayerful attitude, added to the angularity of the Virgin's features and the rigid folds of the fabrics of the hand form an image of great syncretic expressiveness, very typical of the Flemish school.
The devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin has its roots in medieval times, and was especially spread by the Servite order, founded in 1233. There are many and varied iconographic representations that have as central theme the Virgin Mary in her Sorrowful aspect, being the first of them in which she appears next to the Child Jesus, who sleeps oblivious to the future of suffering that awaits him. In these works is usually present the cross, the main symbol of the Passion, embraced even by the Child, while Mary observes him with a pathetic expression. Another aspect is the one that is part of the Pietà, similar to the previous one, although her Son is here dead, not asleep, depicted as an adult and after his crucifixion. In the oldest representations of this theme, the body of Christ appears disproportionately small, as a symbol of the memory that the mother has of her Son's childhood, when she contemplated him asleep on her lap. Finally, the Virgin of Sorrows and Solitude also stands out in importance, where Mary appears alone, sometimes with her heart pierced by one or several swords. Being this representation very close to popular sentiment, after the iconography of the Virgin of Sorrows, the iconography of Solitude is created: Mary, completely alone, is harassed by the memory of the main moments of her life, afflicted in solitude, without her Son. In this theme, the weeping of the Virgin is frequently represented, with torrents of tears running down her cheeks.