The Seven Sorrows of Mary

Bernard van Orley painted this Seven Sorrows of Mary around 1526, depicting the seven episodes of grief in the Virgin's life. Van Orley's series compositions demonstrate his skill in organizing multiple narrative scenes within a unified devotional program Bernard van Orley introduced Italian Renaissance elements into Flemish painting, serving as court painter in Brussels and designing celebrated tapestry cycles Egg tempera on panel was the dominant technique of the period, demanding careful lay

The panel shows van Orley's mature style with Italianate spatial construction applied to the multi-scene format, combining narrative clarity with emotional depth.