Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Vermeer)
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| Artist | Johannes Vermeer |
|---|---|
| Year | 1655 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 160 cm × 142 cm (63 in × 56 in) |
| Location | Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh |
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary is a painting finished in 1655 by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. It is housed in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. It is the largest painting by Vermeer and one of the very few with an overt religious motive. The story of Christ visiting the household of the two sisters Mary and Martha goes back to the New Testament.[1] The work has also been called Christ in the House of Mary and Martha (reversing the last two names).[2]
Painting materials
The pigment analysis of this painting[3] reveals the use of the pigments of the baroque period such as madder lake, yellow ochre, vermilion and lead white. Interestingly enough Vermeer did not paint the robe of Christ with his usual blue pigment of choice ultramarine (see for example The Milkmaid) but with a mixture of smalt, indigo and lead white.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ Luke 10:38-42 Bible New International Version (NIV)
- ↑ Liedtke, Walter; Michiel C. Plomp and Axel Ruger (2001). Vermeer and the Delft School, New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p 363 and throughout. ISBN 0-87099-973-7. 0870999737
- ↑ Kühn, Hermann (1968). "A Study of the Pigments and Grounds Used by Jan Vermeer". Reports and Studies in the History of Art: 154–202.
- ↑ Johannes Vermeer, 'Christ in the House of Martha and Mary', Colourlex
External links
- National Galleries of Scotland web page on the painting
- Essential Vermeer website pages on the painting
- Vermeercentrum, housed at the site of the former St. Lucas Guild in Delft.
- Vermeer and The Delft School, a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on the painting (see index)
- The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer, exhibition catalog fully online as PDF from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on the painting
- Johannes Vermeer, Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, Colourlex