Two themes are brought together in this particularly graphic and elegant painting with subtle colouring: the Annunciation and Saint Luke painting the Virgin. In the first reference, Ensor assumes the position of the Virgin and Mary that of the angel Gabriel. In the second reference, Ensor kneels humbly and respectfully before his heavenly model. The austere interior of the studio stands in stark contrast to the heavenly opulence. But the actual theme is an ironic homage to the artistic genius. Some authors see in the comforting Virgin Mariette Rousseau, the wife of his friend Ernest, as the unattainable object of Ensor’s passionate desire.
| Artist |
James Ensor
RKD
VIAF
Wikidata
|
|---|---|
| Title | The Virgin of Consolation |
| Date | 1892 |
| Period | 19th century |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | signature and year top right: ENSOR 92 |
| Collection | paintings AAT |
| Object type | oil paintings (visual works) AAT |
| Inventory number | 2017-MT |
| Acquisition credit |
long-term loan
Vlaamse Gemeenschap Brussels 2017 |
| Current whereabouts | Work on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/2017-MT |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/11834/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus |
300055874
religious symbolism
AAT
300189808 figures (representations) AAT 300015637 portraits AAT 300124534 self-portraits AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
11F
the Virgin Mary
Iconclass
11Q7131(CHAPEL) parts of church interior: chapel Iconclass 11V84 consoling the sorrowful ~ one of the (seven) spiritual Acts of Mercy Iconclass 25F6(HERRING) fishes (HERRING) Iconclass 31A233 kneeling figure Iconclass 31A71 male sex; man Iconclass 31A72 female sex; woman Iconclass 31AA231 standing figure - AA - female human figure Iconclass 31D14 adult man Iconclass 41D283 mask Iconclass 48B3 portrait, self-portrait of artist Iconclass 48C513 portrait, self-portrait of painter Iconclass 48C5142 picture within picture Iconclass 56BB19 Consolation Iconclass 61B2 historical persons Iconclass 61B2(JAMES ENSOR) historical person (JAMES ENSOR) Iconclass 73A52 the Annunciation: Mary, usually reading, is visited by the angel (sometimes a woman overhears the conversation) Iconclass |
| School / Style | Symbolism (artistic concept) AAT |
| James Ensor : Leven en werk ; Oeuvrecatalogus van de schilderijen / Xavier Tricot. - Brussel : Mercatorfonds, 2009 (p. 317, cat. 354 (ill.)) |
| James Ensor : The Complete Paintings / Xavier Tricot. - Ostfildern : Hatje Cantz, 2009 (p. 317, cat. 354 (ill.)) |
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