Mary of Clopas from the Mourning of the dead Christ

This statue is part of a set of 7 characters in a scene entitled the Mourning of the dead Christ made by Niccolò dell'Arca in the end of the 15th century and kept in Bologna in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita. This unknown masterpiece strikes the spectator with both its realism and expressionism – perhaps the realism of the expressionist aspect of grief and despair. It seems that the intensity of grief goes crescendo from left to right: here, Mary of Clopas, situated on the right of the group has an intense expression of sorrow. Her arched body and her hands give the impression that she wants to push away the image of the dead Christ, whereas her mouth echoes a loud scream. The overall impression is all the more emphasized by her draped clothing and her veil, flying behind her, giving more intensity to each one of her gestures. Mary of Clopas is explicitly mentioned in the Bible as one of the women present at the Crucifixion of Jesus: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary [the wife] of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. (John 19:25)这件雕塑是15世纪末尼科洛·德尔·阿尔卡（Niccolò dell'Arca）创作的《哀悼基督》组雕中的一员，该组雕共包含7个人物，现收藏于博洛尼亚的圣玛利亚德拉维塔圣殿（Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita）。 这件佚名杰作以兼具现实主义与表现主义的风格震撼观者——其对悲痛与绝望的刻画，以极具表现主义特质的现实主义手法呈现。整组作品的哀恸强度从左至右渐次递增：位于组雕右侧的克洛帕斯的马利亚（Mary of Clopas）便流露着浓烈的悲戚神情。 她弓曲的躯体与双手仿佛正试图推开死去基督的遗体，大张的嘴则如同发出撕心裂肺的呐喊。身上垂褶的衣袍与脑后翻飞的头纱进一步强化了整体视觉张力，将她每一个动作的情绪推向极致。 圣经中明确记载，克洛帕斯的马利亚是见证耶稣受难的女性之一：「当耶稣的十字架旁，站着他的母亲，和他母亲的姊妹，并克洛帕斯的妻子马利亚，与抹大拉的马利亚。」（《约翰福音》19:25）