Le couronnement de la Vierge

Le Greco · 1597

Le couronnement de la Vierge - Le Greco

In a small town between Toledo and Madrid, Mary is crowned by the Father and the Son beneath the dove of the Holy Spirit, in a painting that still hangs where El Greco intended it.

The story behind the painting

This Coronation of the Virgin is one of five paintings El Greco made for the high altarpiece of the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad in Illescas, near Toledo. The Wikipedia article dates it to 1603-1605, while Wikidata gives 1597, so the sources disagree; the El Greco biography also places his work for the Hospital of Charity at Illescas in 1603-1605. That biography describes the decade from 1597 to 1607 as a period of intense activity, when his workshop created painted and sculpted ensembles for religious institutions. At Illescas his work included painting, sculpture and architecture: the high altar, four side altars, and the painting of Saint Ildefonso. The Coronation belonged to that ambitious programme.

What to look for

The painting, about 163 by 220 cm, shows the Coronation of the Virgin by God the Father and God the Son, with the Holy Spirit shown above them as a dove. Look for that arrangement: the three persons of the Trinity gathered around Mary, the dove hovering at the top as the crown is set upon her head. The source does not describe the composition further, but the biography reminds us that El Greco's mature works tended to dramatise rather than describe, and that he favoured exceptionally tall, slender figures, especially in works made for altarpieces. Since this canvas was designed to be part of a high altarpiece, imagine it seen from below, among the other paintings and carved elements of the ensemble.

Meaning and intent

The Coronation is the culminating honour of Mary in Christian art: having been taken into heaven, she is crowned by the Trinity. Placed in a sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Charity, the subject spoke directly to the devotion of the place. It sat beside companion scenes of Charity, the Nativity, the Annunciation and the Marriage of the Virgin, together tracing Mary's life and her role as a figure of mercy. The biography notes that El Greco's art carried strong spiritual emotion directly to the viewer. Here that emotion is placed in the service of a whole altar, where each painting gains meaning from its neighbours.

Legacy

Remarkably, the Coronation and three companion paintings, Charity, Nativity and Annunciation, still hang in the church at Illescas, while the fifth, the Marriage of the Virgin, is now in the National Museum of Art of Romania. The commission had a difficult aftermath: between 1607 and 1608 El Greco was involved in a long legal dispute with the authorities of the Hospital of Charity over payment for his work, one of several disputes that contributed to his financial difficulties late in life. Despite that, the paintings remained where they were made to be seen, so visitors to Illescas can still experience much of El Greco's ensemble in its original setting.

Le saviez-vous ?

Wikipedia · Wikipedia (El Greco) · Wikidata

À propos de l'artiste

Le Greco (1541-1614)

art religieux · Marie · Joseph

Autres œuvres de Le Greco

Œuvres d'artistes liés