The Wise And The Foolish Bridesmaids
Stories
LECTIONARY TALES FOR THE PULPIT
Series III, Cycle A
Jacopo Tintoretto paints a stunning portrayal of The Parable of The Wise and The Foolish Virgins. Painted in oil around the year 1548, the painting gives much attention to the stance of the bridesmaids, both the foolish group and the wise group. Tintoretto's interpretation of the parable is beautiful.
The painting is mainly an olive green, depicting a huge courtyard with a long, wide balcony above spanning the length of the courtyard. On the second floor one sees the ballroom with a beautiful chandelier hanging in the center. The ceiling of the ballroom is painted, resembling an oriental rug. The windows on the second floor are arched at the top and reach toward the ceiling. A room is seen off to the side where food is being placed on a table covered with cloth. Men and women alike are both standing idle and dancing in the ballroom.
The upper balcony is edged in wrought iron, upon which lean the wise bridesmaids, the bride and the bridegroom. The group is looking down at the women in the courtyard. They wear fine dresses of velvet. Lace adorns their necklines, and they wear Chantilly lace veils upon their heads. They lean over the wrought iron railing, as if in conversation with the group below. Their mouths are open.
The courtyard below seems vast with beautiful tile on the ground. There are designs in the tile and the side of the courtyard leads to hallways. The halls are clearly visible. A couple is walking in one of the halls, apparently to a room on the side of the mansion. They are dressed in fine clothing.
A man leans his hand high on the wall in the other hallway. He is dressed in dark clothing, but has a shawl or cloak draped at his hips. He looks as if he needs assistance to stand. He is looking toward the group of bridesmaids in the center of the courtyard.
Five bridesmaids stand in various poses in the middle of the courtyard. They all look up toward the group leaning over the balcony railing. Their faces are twisted in pain or anguish as they consider the events upstairs.
One leans over a bowl where a small dog sits. It looks as if she is going to pour oil in the bowl. The little dog looks on, interested.
Another woman holds a lamp and is poised to walk on. But she hesitates and stands with one knee up, as if frozen. Her body is fully visible against the clingy fabric of her dress. But it does not matter. She is not going upstairs.
One can imagine what another woman is doing. She holds a lantern in one hand and has her other hand outstretched toward the group on the balcony. She is begging to go up. She, too, is dressed in a beautiful gown with lace at her neck and on her head. But her hand is reaching to no avail. She will not be allowed in.
A bridesmaid is tortured, standing with hips thrust forward, arms held back and face looking upward. Her expression is one of agony as she considers that she will not be let in.
Holding the train of her long veil, another bridesmaid seems resigned to the fact that she cannot get upstairs. She is looking upward, but her body stands as if she is turning back, away from the entrance to the ballroom upstairs. She knows she is not allowed in.
A room is at the back of the entrance to the upstairs. It's hard to see what is in the room other than a man and woman sitting on the floor, kneeling. They seem to look over the courtyard in annoyance at the noise the bridesmaids must be making.
As with Jesus in telling this parable, the message Tintoretto paints is obvious: the foolish will fail; the wise will triumph.
The painting is mainly an olive green, depicting a huge courtyard with a long, wide balcony above spanning the length of the courtyard. On the second floor one sees the ballroom with a beautiful chandelier hanging in the center. The ceiling of the ballroom is painted, resembling an oriental rug. The windows on the second floor are arched at the top and reach toward the ceiling. A room is seen off to the side where food is being placed on a table covered with cloth. Men and women alike are both standing idle and dancing in the ballroom.
The upper balcony is edged in wrought iron, upon which lean the wise bridesmaids, the bride and the bridegroom. The group is looking down at the women in the courtyard. They wear fine dresses of velvet. Lace adorns their necklines, and they wear Chantilly lace veils upon their heads. They lean over the wrought iron railing, as if in conversation with the group below. Their mouths are open.
The courtyard below seems vast with beautiful tile on the ground. There are designs in the tile and the side of the courtyard leads to hallways. The halls are clearly visible. A couple is walking in one of the halls, apparently to a room on the side of the mansion. They are dressed in fine clothing.
A man leans his hand high on the wall in the other hallway. He is dressed in dark clothing, but has a shawl or cloak draped at his hips. He looks as if he needs assistance to stand. He is looking toward the group of bridesmaids in the center of the courtyard.
Five bridesmaids stand in various poses in the middle of the courtyard. They all look up toward the group leaning over the balcony railing. Their faces are twisted in pain or anguish as they consider the events upstairs.
One leans over a bowl where a small dog sits. It looks as if she is going to pour oil in the bowl. The little dog looks on, interested.
Another woman holds a lamp and is poised to walk on. But she hesitates and stands with one knee up, as if frozen. Her body is fully visible against the clingy fabric of her dress. But it does not matter. She is not going upstairs.
One can imagine what another woman is doing. She holds a lantern in one hand and has her other hand outstretched toward the group on the balcony. She is begging to go up. She, too, is dressed in a beautiful gown with lace at her neck and on her head. But her hand is reaching to no avail. She will not be allowed in.
A bridesmaid is tortured, standing with hips thrust forward, arms held back and face looking upward. Her expression is one of agony as she considers that she will not be let in.
Holding the train of her long veil, another bridesmaid seems resigned to the fact that she cannot get upstairs. She is looking upward, but her body stands as if she is turning back, away from the entrance to the ballroom upstairs. She knows she is not allowed in.
A room is at the back of the entrance to the upstairs. It's hard to see what is in the room other than a man and woman sitting on the floor, kneeling. They seem to look over the courtyard in annoyance at the noise the bridesmaids must be making.
As with Jesus in telling this parable, the message Tintoretto paints is obvious: the foolish will fail; the wise will triumph.
