Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1977.14.91
Gallery Label:
The visionary artist and poet William Blake explored tempera painting in the late 1790s, calling his idiosyncratic technique “fresco.” Most of his temperas represent religious subjects, and in this late example the Virgin holds the Christ child in her lap while she raises her hands in an orans position, denoting prayer. The hieratic composition and extensive use of gold suggest Blake was emulating early Christian mosaics and Byzantine icons. The Virgin’s tears reveal her foreknowledge of Christ’s sacrificial death and her own sorrowful participation in his Passion. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016