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 Maru?ka, 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，穆夏受托裝飾耶路撒冷一座獻給圣母馬利亞的教堂。這里推介的是為該教堂繪制的一幅壁畫——終版《百合圣母》（布面蛋彩畫，247厘米×182厘米，1905年）。后來，這一委托莫名取消，穆夏此次的創作留存只有這幅畫和較早的一個版本（日本大阪堺市收藏），另外還有一彩繪玻璃設計《和諧》，目前也由穆夏信托收藏。

[2]穆夏在給妻子馬魯什卡的信中說，他構思的主題是“純潔圣女”，因而畫中描繪了置身天堂美景的圣母，四周簇擁著大片象征純潔的百合花。坐著的少女身穿斯拉夫民族服裝，手握象征懷念的常春藤葉編成的花環。少女表情嚴肅，身形格外清晰，與身影略顯縹緲的圣母馬利亞形成鮮明的對照。