PROVENANCE: Count Davidoff-Orloff, St. Petersburg,
before 1864, and thence by family descent; Schaeffer Galleries, New York,
by 1937; BJU, 1954.
A child prodigy, the young van Dyck was already producing masterful
portraits by the age of 14. After being apprenticed to Hendrik van Balen,
in 1618 he was named a master in the Guild of St. Luke. Van Dyck spent
his formative teen years and early 20s within the inevitable sphere of
Rubens, who used van Dyck as an assistant on numerous important
commissions. He became the master's best collaborator; and within just
two years, his fame grew enough to bring a summons to the court of King
James I of England. The influence of Rubens is undeniable, but it is
the subsequent inspiration from the work of the great Venetian master,
Titian, that allowed van Dyck to free his brushwork and create a more
individual style. Ambition and the love of luxury led van Dyck on a career
that brought him to courts throughout Europe, producing many works of
and for royalty. His most notable contributions to art history are his
inventive and riveting portraits that capture the essence of his sitters.
Van Dyck died at the young age of 42, which perhaps is part of the reason
his reputation has struggled to emerge fully from the shadow of Rubens.
Van Dyck's Mother of Sorrows is a calm and private essay revealing
his prowess in the art of portraiture and in contemplative religious work.
It betrays the stylistic influence of Titian's brushwork in its loose handling
and use of the canvas texture. Dr. Ludwig Burchard (1937) says, "After
comparing it with [his] earlier Mater Dolorosa in Sans-Souci
(c. 1617), the conclusion arrived at is that van Dyck could only have painted
this life size, ¾ figure after he grew familiar with the art of
the great Venetian in Italy..[it holds an] outstanding position in van
Dyck's work." Furthermore, G.F. Waagen (1864) describes the work as "noble
in outline, deep in feeling, delicate in colouring," and the tender expression
in Mary's hands "of particular beauty."
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