Summary
Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (Dutch: Christus in het huis van Martha en Maria) is a painting finished in 1655 by the Dutch Golden Age painter Johannes Vermeer. It is now in the Scottish National Gallery 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 of Bethany 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]
| Christ in the House of Martha and Mary | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Johannes Vermeer |
| Year | c. 1655 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 160 cm × 142 cm (63 in × 56 in) |
| Location | Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh |
Painting materials edit
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. 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 edit
References edit
- ^ Luke 10:38–42
- ^ Liedtke, Walter; Plomp, Michiel C.; Ruger, Axel (2001). Vermeer and the Delft School. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. p. 363 and throughout. ISBN 0-87099-973-7.
- ^ Kühn, Hermann (1968). "A Study of the Pigments and Grounds Used by Jan Vermeer". Reports and Studies in the History of Art. 2: 154–202. JSTOR 42618099.
- ^ "Johannes Vermeer, 'Christ in the House of Martha and Mary'". Colourlex.
Further reading edit
- Buijsen, Edwin, ed. (2010). The Young Vermeer. Zwolle: Waanders Publishers. ISBN 978-90-400-7680-0.
External links edit
- 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