Les Trois Marie en pleurs ; Sainte Barbe (au revers)

Les Trois Marie en pleurs; Sainte Barbe au revers by Colijn de Coter, dated 1512 and now in the Louvre, is a double-sided panel whose front presents the three Marys weeping at the Passion — Mary the mother of Christ, Mary Magdalene, and Mary of Clopas — while the reverse carries a figure of Saint Barbara. The double-sided format identifies this as a processional or altarpiece wing that was visible from both sides, a functional consideration that shaped the design of both faces. De Coter's treatment of the weeping Marys draws on the Flemish tradition of emotional facial expression established by Rogier van der Weyden, while the Barbara on the reverse follows the more static conventions of individual saintly portraiture.

The three faces of the Marys are carefully differentiated through age, expression, and the specific character of each woman's grief — Mary's stunned sorrow contrasts with the Magdalene's more demonstrative weeping. The Louvre panel preserves both sides in good condition, allowing comparison of De Coter's technique across devotional and iconographic contexts. The Barbara reverse is painted on a gessoed ground similar to the front, confirming simultaneous production.