The Virgin at Prayer

The Virgin in Prayer by Théophile Lybaert is a classic example of neo-Gothic art. Both the realistic detail and natural symbolism were inspired by the Flemish Primitives. The rose and the thistle, for example, refer to the Passion and Redemption of Christ. The theme of the Virgin Mary in a walled garden and the frame with Latin and Middle Dutch…

The Virgin in Prayer by Théophile Lybaert is a classic example of neo-Gothic art. Both the realistic detail and natural symbolism were inspired by the Flemish Primitives. The rose and the thistle, for example, refer to the Passion and Redemption of Christ. The theme of the Virgin Mary in a walled garden and the frame with Latin and Middle Dutch inscriptions in gothic lettering emphasise the work’s archaic character. The artist added his signature and the date on the stone bench at the bottom left. Lybaert was called the 19th century’s Memling and created striking murals for St Salvator’s Church in Ghent among others.