# Mary

**Henry Ossawa Tanner** (born Pittsburgh, PA 1859-died Paris, France 1937)  
ca. 1914  
oil on canvas  
45 1/2 x 34 3/4 in. (115.5 x 88.2 cm.)

Courtesy of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1991.102. [The museum's record](https://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=32409).

## About this work

Henry Ossawa Tanner saw Mary, mother of Jesus, as a symbol of faith and fortitude. He painted many images of her and created this particular work during a difficult and trying time in his life. In 1914, the year his mother died, the outbreak of World War I forced his family to flee France for England. In this scene, Mary awaits the arrival of the angel who will tell her that she bears the Son of God. The glowing lamp, a symbol of God’s presence, adds mystery and suspense to the painting.

_Text from the Smithsonian American Art Museum._

Henry Ossawa Tanner painted this in about 1914, aged 55. It is now at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [Henry Ossawa Tanner](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/henry-ossawa-tanner)

born Pittsburgh, PA 1859-died Paris, France 1937

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- The artist was 55
- Real size: about 45 × 35 in (116 × 88 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 16 × 20 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 20th century
- Subjects: Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint, Religion, Bible, N.T.
- Colour: black
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1986.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1986/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/mary-si-saam-1991-102).