Madonna of the Lilies

In 1902, Mucha was commissioned to decorate a church in Jerusalem dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Shown here is the final version of Madonna of the Lilies (tempera on canvas, 247cm ×182cm, 1905), one of the murals for the church. The project was cancelled later for unknown reasons, so all that remains of this commission is this painting and earlier versions of it (Sakai City collection, Japan), as well as a design for a stained-glass window, Harmony, which is also in the Mucha Trust collection.

[2] According to Mucha’s letter to his wife Maruška, he conceived the subject as ‘Virgo purissima’, thus depicting the heavenly vision of Madonna, surrounded with a mass of lilies, symbol of purity. The seated young girl in Slavic folk costume carries a wreath of ivy leaves,symbol of remembrance. Her serious expression and strong physical presence contrast with the ethereal figure of the Virgin.

1902年，穆夏受托装饰耶路撒冷一座献给圣母马利亚的教堂。这里推介的是为该教堂绘制的一幅壁画——终版《百合圣母》（布面蛋彩画，247厘米×182厘米，1905年）。后来，这一委托莫名取消，穆夏此次的创作留存只有这幅画和较早的一个版本（日本大阪堺市收藏），另外还有一彩绘玻璃设计《和谐》，目前也由穆夏信托收藏。

[2]穆夏在给妻子马鲁什卡的信中说，他构思的主题是“纯洁圣女”，因而画中描绘了置身天堂美景的圣母，四周簇拥着大片象征纯洁的百合花。坐着的少女身穿斯拉夫民族服装，手握象征怀念的常春藤叶编成的花环。少女表情严肃，身形格外清晰，与身影略显缥缈的圣母马利亚形成鲜明的对照。