Collections: European Art: The Magnificat (Le magnificat)

• Download
• Add to set
• Favorite
• Posse icon
• Share
• Print

The Magnificat (Le magnificat)

• Portfolio/Series: The Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ (La Vie de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ)

With this scene, Tissot continues to explore Mary’s role in the “Divine plan,” as the artist called the biblical narrative. Mary prays or “sings” her praise of God for giving her a part to play in humankind’s redemption.

While The Annunciation underscored the Virgin’s humble station and modesty, here she stands with head and hands raised to the sky as she utters what Tissot characterizes as a “quiet, reverent, whispered expression of a spirit moved to its very depths.” Her relatives Elizabeth and Zacharias (the parents of John the Baptist, a childhood companion, and later the precursor, to Jesus) look on with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Tissot locates this scene in a verdant garden, most likely to emphasize the Virgin’s fertility.


• Artist: James Tissot, French, 1836-1902
• Medium: Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper
• Place Made: France
• Dates: 1886-1894
• Dimensions: Image: 9 15/16 x 4 5/8 in. (25.2 x 11.7 cm) Sheet: 9 15/16 x 4 5/8 in. (25.2 x 11.7 cm)
• Signature: Signed lower left: "J.J. Tissot"
• Collections: European Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Robert E. Blum Gallery, 1st Floor
• Accession Number: 00.159.19
• Credit Line: Purchased by public subscription
• Image: Overall, 00.159.19_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007
James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). The Magnificat (Le magnificat), 1886-1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 9 15/16 x 4 5/8 in. (25.2 x 11.7 cm) Sheet: 9 15/16 x 4 5/8 in. (25.2 x 11.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased by public subscription, 00.159.19 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 00.159.19_PS1.jpg)