In a white veil and tasselled shawl, she lifts her hand.
Bible in art · Luke
On Return from Jerusalem, It is Noticed that Jesus is Lost (Au retour de Jérusalem on s'aperçoit que Jésus est perdu)
James Tissot · 1886–1894
Brooklyn Museum, New York
Tissot imagined the halt of the pilgrims going home from Jerusalem: a crowd with donkeys and camels on a bare hillside, people resting, animals lying in the grass, the road winding back over the hills.
In the middle Mary, in a veil and a tasselled shawl, raises her hand as she turns to Joseph, a tall man in a striped cloak. They have just found that the boy is not with them.
From the text
- “they traveled on for a day before they began to look for Him among their relatives and friends” (Luke 2:44)
- They return to Jerusalem to search for Him (Luke 2:45)
The artist’s own
- A whole caravan of pilgrims with donkeys and camels
- Mary and Joseph seen from behind in the crowd
Details
Mary
Joseph
A tall figure in a broad striped cloak.
Resting donkeys
Saddled donkeys lie on the grass while the people stop.
The road
The road climbs back over the hills, busy with travellers.
James Tissot, French, 1836–1902. Brooklyn Museum, New York (Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.39) · Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper · Brooklyn Museum (Commons file page, «Permission»): "This image was uploaded by the Brooklyn Museum as a content partnership, and is considered to have no known copyright restrictions by the institutions of the Brooklyn Museum." — "No known copyright restrictions".