... God in the Arts - exploring symbols of the Christian faith

Editor: The Revd Michael Burgess (Parish Pump, UK) surveys works of sacred art that can be found in various museums...you can see the image below or by googling the title of the painting and the artist.

 

He gave us eyes to see them:  ‘The Death of the Virgin’ by Bruegel

Upton House in Warwickshire was the home of a millionaire oil magnate, Walter Samuel, in the 1920s and 30s. The origin of that fortune is displayed in the collection of early Shell posters, but the house is now owned by theUK National Trust.

The interiors still breathe the art deco atmosphere of that earlier lifestyle. Outside there are beautiful terraced gardens, imposing cedar trees, and spectacular asters. Inside there is a remarkable art collection with works by Bosch, Holbein, El Greco, Canaletto and Stubbs. And two paintings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525-69) – ‘The Massacre of the Innocents’ and ‘The Death of the Virgin.’ Bruegel’s works are full of movement and colour as he depicts the peasant life and landscapes of his day. The mood for ‘The Death of the Virgin’ is very different. It is a grisaille, painted in grey tones that suit the theme of life ending.

The month of May is often known as Mary’s month, with May Queen celebrations and the feast of the Visitation on the 31st. On that day we give thanks for the beginning of new life in the womb of our Lady as she goes to share that good news with her cousin, Elizabeth. In Bruegel’s painting in Upton House, it is the ending of her life that is the theme. Local villagers gather around her bed which is set in a typical Flemish room of the period. The source of this story is the Golden Legend. In the Gospels we hear of Mary at the Incarnation and Cana. We know Mary was with the disciples at the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and, as the Golden Legend relates, here they are with her at her death. John, the beloved disciple, seems to be dozing by the fireside, perhaps dreaming of that special moment at the crucifixion when he was entrusted with the care of the mother of Jesus.

Mary holds a candle and is praying as she looks at the crucifix on the pillow at the end of the bed. For all the figures gathered around, Bruegel has depicted the scene as a special, intimate moment, when she is about to be reunited with her son. We can think of Mary praying the Magnificat and Mary praying with the disciples at Pentecost. And prayer suffuses this scene as she commends her life to God’s grace. The light that shines forth faintly around the bed will blaze out in resurrection glory as she is welcomed into the heavenly courts.

In the Orthodox Church this moment is known as the falling asleep of Mary. If so, it is a falling asleep to wake into the realm of life eternal. She whose words to the angels began the great gospel of salvation in Jesus; she who told the servants at Cana to do what Jesus asks; she who followed Jesus to the foot of the cross – now in this painting, she places her hope and trust in that same son who showed that death was not the end, but birth into new life. Mary’s Yes to the angel is a lesson and example for all of us as we try to follow God’s will. As we ponder this scene of Bruegel in her month of May, we can echo the angel’s words to our Lady: ‘Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you’ – now and eternally.