Picture in Focus: Pieta by Alena Antonova

March 21, 2021

Picture in Focus: Pieta by Alena Antonova

A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. (Jeremiah 31:15, KJV)
This passage from the Hebrew Scriptures, cited in the Nativity narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents in the Gospel of Matthew, takes on new meaning in this image of the Virgin Mary, tenderly cradling the corpse of her son, who escaped the sword as an infant only to die as the blameless victim of political intrigue when he reaced manhood. In sacred imagery of Christ's Crucifixion and Entombment, the women in the Gospel Passion narratives embody empathy, compassion, and sorrow in a visual world dominated by men behaving badly. One of the best known motifs is this depiction of the grieving Mother of Christ known as Pieta (the Italian word for "pity"). Czech Printmaker Alena Antonova shows Mary's heart pierced with seven swords, symbolizing seven sorrowful moments in her life in a popular Roman Catholic devotion. The dog licking Christ's wounds brings to mind the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man in the Gospel of Luke. The new Passion book plate can be found on the East European Ex Libris page in the Schools of Sacred Art section. (John Kohan)