Head of the Virgin (Mater Dolorosa) 1730 - 1765

Pietro Ferloni made this Head of the Virgin, or Mater Dolorosa, in the 18th century as a tapestry. It is made with wool and silk. What makes this work so compelling is its tight weave, which creates a photographic realism. Tapestries like this were not just decorative, but also showpieces of skill, made in workshops where labor was strictly divided. The cartoon, or design, would be made by a master artist, but the weaving itself was often piece-work, undertaken by less-skilled hands. The limited palette of blacks, whites and grays, intensify the Virgin Mary’s expression of grief. The weaver would have had to be extremely precise to create the subtle gradations of tone that give the face its three-dimensionality. Looking at this tapestry, we can appreciate the immense amount of human effort that went into its creation, and hopefully think beyond the traditional divide between fine art and craft.