#missal

The Crystal Ball (1902), by J.W. Waterhouse 

After the devout girl reading the missal, Waterhouse painted quite the opposite with this picture full of symbols of witchcraft: a wand, a skull and the woman looking into a crystal ball.  Against the young girl reading the holy book, stands here an experienced woman following instructions from a book full of magical symbols.  The skull was overpainted in the early 1950’s, but restored in its original state 40 years later.

Both paintings were displayed in the same gallery, side by side.  They clearly belong together and as such were both bought by Frederick H. Pyman in 1909. Later they became somehow separated.  This painting’s last known location is in a private collection in Mexico, whereas the location of The Missal is unknown.

The Missal (1902), by J.W. Waterhouse 

This painting of a virgin reading a missal in a domestic setting resembles the painting “Mariana in the South” from five years earlier. The kneeling woman, her outfit and the tiles on the floor are all similar.  In the background, a courtyard is seen with fruit trees that symbolize the fertility of the girl.  Unlike in “Mariana”, any references to literature or history are missing.

The present location of this painting is unknown and even the dimensions are undetermined.  The last-known owner was shipping magnate Frederick Haigh Pyman, who bought it in 1909 for his holiday resort Dunsley Hall, now a hotel near Whitby.

Missal for the Use of Rome
 Southern Netherlands, possibly Hainault, ca. 1530–50 
The Free Library of Philadelphia, Lewis E 157