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| The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From a Picture Bible French (St. Omer), c. 1190-1200 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 76 F 5, fol. 31v |
“Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The kingdom of heaven will be like ten
virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet
the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were
wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with
their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet
him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed
their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and
you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for
yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the
wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the
hour."
(Matthew
25:1-13, Gospel for the Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A)
The Gospel
reading for this Sunday, the thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time in the Year
A cycle, is the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. In it the Gospel writer, Matthew, is issuing
a warning for those with ears to hear. This
rather amusing story seems on the surface to describe a situation akin to one during an emergency in the modern world, in which one neighbor discovers that he is out of batteries and begs his more prudent neighbor to give him some of his.
However, what Matthew is actually describing is the end of things, both at the personal level of each person’s life and at the universal level of the end of the world. The season of Advent is approaching, with its reminders of the end of time and its urgent calls for personal change of heart and mind. The last sentence today reminds us to “stay awake, for you know neither the day not the hour”. This is, indeed, the theme of the next few weeks as the liturgical year ends and a new one begins. We must "stay awake".
However, what Matthew is actually describing is the end of things, both at the personal level of each person’s life and at the universal level of the end of the world. The season of Advent is approaching, with its reminders of the end of time and its urgent calls for personal change of heart and mind. The last sentence today reminds us to “stay awake, for you know neither the day not the hour”. This is, indeed, the theme of the next few weeks as the liturgical year ends and a new one begins. We must "stay awake".
Hopefully, each person will imitate the wise virgins, who were ready
when the bridegroom arrived, and not the foolish ones who found themselves
wanting at the decisive moment and, arriving late to the party, were denied
admission. For the Bridegroom is Christ
and the wedding feast is eternal life and the oil for the lamps represents our level of preparation for the moment of our death.
 |
| Master of Edward IV, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From the Vita Christi Flemish (Bruges), c. 1487-1490 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 894, fol. 233v
Here the wise virgins are shown already in the banqueting house, with their lamps alight, while the improvident foolish ones
find themselves locked out.
|
Artists have
been depicting this parable since medieval times, but over time there has been
a subtle change in what the works of art are saying. In the earlier centuries, the women are
simply presented as having lighted lamps or having lamps that are empty of
oil. Quite often the division is
reinforced by showing the wise virgins wearing crowns, while the foolish ones
are bare headed. Also, the lamps of the
foolish are frequently shown pointing down, indicating that they are empty.
 |
| The Wise and the Foolish Virgins Single Leaf from a Psalter English (Canterbury), c. 1155-1160 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 521v, Zone 1 |
 |
| The Foolish Virgins German, c. 1245 Magdeburg, Cathedral The foolish virgins lament their empty lamps. I particularly appreciate the gesture of the second from the left. |
 |
| The Wise Virgins German, c. 1245 Magdeburg, Cathedral Meanwhile, the wise virgins appear to be happy with their situation. |
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| Christ with the Wise and the Foolish Virgins From a Bible Byzantine (Constantinople), c. 1250 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Grec 54, fol. 91r |
 |
| Christ in Heaven with the Wise and the Foolish Virgins and a Bishop Preaching From the Bestiaire divin by Guillaume le Clerc English, c. 1250-1300 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 14969, fol. 17r |
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| The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From the Speculum humanae salvationis Swiss (Basle), 15th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 512, fol. 42r |
 |
| Claes Brouwer, the Alexander Master, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From a History Bible Dutch (Utrecht), c. 1430 The Hague, Koninklijk Bibliotheek MS KB 78 D 38 II, fol. 184v |
 |
| Hektor Mullich and Georg Mullich, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From s German Textual Miscellany German, c. 1450-1460 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 782,fol. 75r |
 |
| The Foolish Virgins Beg for Oil from the Wise Virgins From the Egmont Breviary Dutch (Utrecht), c. 1435-1445 New York, Pierpont Morgan Library MS M 87, fol. 331r |
,%20c.%201475-1500_Paris,%20Bnf_MS%20Francais%20178,%20fol.%20174v.jpg) |
| Jean Colombe, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From the Vita Jesu Christi by Ludolph of Saxony French (Bourges), c. 1475-1500 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 178, fol. 174v |
However, in
the fifteenth century, artists began to focus more on the implications of the
story for the foolish virgins, those who were unready for the arrival of the
bridegroom. In a page from a collection
of manuscript pages associated with the Carthusian order now in the British
Library and dated to around 1425, we see the bridegroom, Christ, in His castle
with His bride (the Church). Angels lead
the wise virgins, with their lighted lamps, to heaven, while one of the angels
bars the foolish, with their empty lamps, with a sword.
 |
| The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From The Carthusian Miscellany English, c. 1425-1475 London, British Library MS Additional 37049, fol. 80v |
Other illustrators picked up the same theme.
 |
| The Wise and the Foolish Virgins From the Speculum humane salvationis Unknown Origin, First Half of the 15th Century Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Latin 9585, fol. 46r |
,%20c.%201485_Paris,%20BNF_MS%20Francais%206275,%20fol.%2042r.jpg) |
| Master of Edward IV, The Foolish Virgins From the Speculum humanae salvationis Flemish (Bruges), c. 1485 Paris, Bibliotheque nationale de France MS Francais 6275, fol. 42r |
These
implications are made even more explicit in a Flemish painting from about 1450
which combines the story of the wise and foolish virgins with the Last
Judgment. Each group stands in front of
the group to which they will belong. The
wise virgins are placed below the group of the saved and are being guided by an
angel to reach that group. The foolish
virgins are placed in front of the damned and turn sadly away as they realize
where they must go.
 |
| Last Judgment With the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins Flemish, c. 1450-1480 Berlin, Staatliche Museen |
A 1469
manuscript depicting the wise and foolish virgins flanking a scene of the
Crucifixion is a bit more ambiguous, implying that the foolish ones might still
have a chance at salvation through the Blood of Christ.
 |
| Workshop of Diebold Lauber, Crucifixion with the Wise and the Foolish Virgins From the Tale of Barlaam and Josaphat Alsatian, 1469 Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum MS Ludwig XV, fol. 90v |
An engraving
made by Philips Galle after a design by Pieter Bruegel the Elder sometime
around 1550 continues the theme of the parable related to the end of times, but
also looks forward to what would become the central theme of painters in the
future. In the foreground the two groups
spend their waiting time in very different activities. The wise diligently work hard at activities
related to the wool trade. They card and
spin and embroider, while their foolish counterparts spend their time idly in
dancing and playing music, while their lamps lie empty. In the middle ground an angel appears holding
a banner which says "Behold, the bridegroom is coming! Go out
to meet him!” (Matthew 25:6). In the
background Christ, the Bridegroom, welcomes the souls of the wise to heaven,
while on the other side of the image, the souls of the foolish face a closed
door. On the side of the steps leading
to the closed door are the words “I do not know you” (Matthew 25:12). At the bottom of the image are the words with
which the foolish begged the wise for some oil, “Give us some of your oil, for
our lamps are going out”, as well as the reply of the wise “'No, for there may
not be enough for us and you”. (Matthew
25:8-9)
 |
| Phillips Galle after Pieter Bruegel the Elder, The Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins Flemish, c. 1550-1563 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Bruegel’s
reference to the end of times is a bit of an outlier at this point, for around
1500 the favored scene had changed for artists.
They no longer pointed openly to the eternal implications of the
parable, but seemed to assume that it was understood. Instead, they began to focus first on the acceptance or rejection of each group by the Bridegroom and then on the ways in which the two groups spent the hours during which
they waited for the Bridegroom.
Lambert Zutman, called Lambert Suavius III, The Parable of the Wise Virgins
Flemish, c. 1530
Paris, Musée du Louvre, Cabinet des dessins
 |
| Ceramic Plaque with the Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins Austrian, c. 1550-1600 Boston, Museum of Fine Arts |
 |
| Jacopo Tintoretto, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins Italian, c. 1546 Banbury, Warwickshire (UK), Upton House The foolish plead for admission and are refused by the Bridegroom/Christ, who stands looking down from the balcony. |
These themes
were particularly popular in the Netherlands, both Southern (under Spanish rule
at the time and now known as Belgium) and Northern (provinces which had broken
away from Spain and had formed the Dutch Republic). Several families of artists made this one of
their frequent themes, such as the Francken family and the Lisaert family.
 |
| Jan Collaert I After Ambrosius Francken, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins Thesaurus Novi Testamenti elegantissimis iconibus expressus continens historias atque miracula do[mi] ni nostri Iesu Christi Flemish, 1585 London, British Museum
On the left side of the image, the wise virgins diligently concentrate on keeping their lamps filled with oil as they wait. On the right side, the foolish spend their waiting time in idle pursuits, their lamps empty and time forgotten. In the background, Francken still included the ultimate fate of each group. The wise welcomed by the Risen Christ, while the foolish face a closed door. |
 |
| Hieronymous Francken II, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins Flemish, c. 1600 Private Collection
In this image the foolish are given more prominence than the wise, who remain in the right background. Once senses that this Francken may have felt more friendly toward the foolish virgins than usual as their pursuits are given more of the picture surface.
|
 |
| Hieronymous Francken II, Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins Flemish, c. 1616 St. Petersburg, State Hermitage Museum |
 |
| Pieter Lisaert III, The Foolish Virgins and the Wise Virgins Flemish, c. 1590-1600 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
 |
| Pieter Lisaert IV, The Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins Flemish, c. 1600 Private Collection |
 |
| Jan Saenredam, Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins Dutch, 1605 London, British Museum While the Bridegroom welcomes the first three wise the last two tell the foolish to go to the merchants for oil. |
 |
| Jan Saenradam, The Foolish Virgins Refused Entry Dutch, 1606 Chicago, Art Institute
The foolish return from their buying trip to find the doors closed and the terrible words of the Bridegroom issuing from the window above it "Amen dico vobis, nescio vos". In the far right background we can see the scene of welcome created by Saenradam in the engraving above.
|
Other artists depicted the moment of conflict in which the foolish begged the wise for some of their oil and the prudent wise refused to share in case they too would be unready for the arrival of the Bridegroom.
 |
| Harmen Janszoon Muller After Gerard van Groeningen, The Wise Tell the Foolish to Get Oil from the Merchants Dutch, c. 1565-1572 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
In France
the subject was treated in a new way by the engraver Abraham Bosse, who
published a well-known series of engravings called Les Vierges sages et les vierges folles in 1635. In this series Bosse published scenes showing
the manner in which each group spent the time awaiting the Bridegroom. The foolish virgins play cards, or play musical
instruments or study their reflections in the mirror. They snooze before the fire.
 |
| Abraham Bosse, The Foolish Virgins Conversing From Les Vierges sages et les vierges folles French, c. 1635 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Abraham Bosse, The Foolish Virgins Sleeping From Les Vierges sages et les vierges folles French, c. 1635 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Meanwhile, the wise virgins spend their time
in earnest discussion of religious topics and are, therefore, alert to the
arrival of the Bridegroom.
 |
| Abraham Bosse, The Wise Virgins Conversing From Les Vierges sages et les vierges folles French, c. 1635 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
In another
image from the series, the two groups meet and the wise refuse to give their
oil to the foolish, telling them to go away and buy it.
 |
| Abraham Bosse, The Wise Virgins Refuse Oil to the Foolish Virgins From Les Vierges sages et les vierges folles French, c. 1635 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
It is interesting that Bosse underlines the differences between the groups in terms of fashion. The wise virgins are modestly dressed, the shoulders and bosoms of their dresses are covered by large, plain white linen collars. The foolish follow the current court fashion of exposed shoulders and low cut decolletage.
|
While the foolish are trying to make up for
their oversight, the Bridegroom arrives and welcomes the wise to the wedding
feast.
 |
| Abraham Bosse, The Wise Virgins Before Christ From Les Vierges sages et les vierges folles French, c. 1635 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
The final image in the series shows the
disconsolate foolish virgins, returned from their errand, only to find that they are locked out
of the banqueting hall.
 |
| Abraham Bosse, The Foolish Virgins Denied Admission From Les Vierges sages et les vierges folles French, c. 1635 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
These
interpretations remain the standard images associated with this parable until
well into the nineteenth century.
 |
| Robert de Baudous After Pieter Feddes van Harlingen, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins Dutch, c. 1650 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
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| Domenico Piola, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins Italian, c. 1680-1700 Edinburgh, Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture On Loan to the Scottish National Museums |
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| Caspar Luyken, The Wise Virgins and the Bridegroom Dutch, 1708 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
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| Godfried Schalcken, The Wise and the Foolish Virgins Dutch, c. 1700 Munich, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Alte Pinakothek |
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| Jan Luyken, The Foolish Virgins Beg for Oil from the Wise Dutch, 1712 Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum |
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| Francesco Zuccarelli, The Wise Virgins Are Ready to Greet the Bridegroom Italian, 1728 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Francesco Fontebasso, The Bridegroom and the Foolish Virgins Italian, c. 1760 Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado |
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| William Blake, The Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins English, c. 1799-1800 New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| William Etty, The Foolish Virgins English, c. 1830-1849 Dundee (UK), University of Dundee Fine Arts Collections |
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| Wilhelm von Schadow, The Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins German, c. 1850-1862 Frankfurt-am-Main, Städel Museum |
The
last few images made, shortly before 1900, have a different outlook. They tend to depict the scene stripped of its
relation to the end of the world and are, instead, more focused on the natural
level of the story.
In the pictures by Tissot we see the wise virgins who, though they have fallen asleep, have sufficient oil to keep their lamps brightly lit and the foolish virgins rushing back to the house with the oil they have purchased. We know they will be too late, but they do not.
 |
| James Tissot, The Wise Virgins French, 1886-1894 New York, Brooklyn Museum |
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| James Tissot, The Foolish Virgins French, 1886-1894 New York, Brooklyn Museum |
 |
| William John Wainwright, The Parable of the Wise and the Foolish Virgins English, 1899 Birmingham (UK), Birmingham Museums Trust |
Wainwright presents his picture from the point of view of the Bridegroom. The wise virgins are shown with their lighted lamps and the additional jug of oil they had prudently brought with them. In the back, the foolish react to the discovery that they are unprepared for His arrival.
Interest in
the story has continued into the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries,
although interpreted in ways that represent the era in which they were made,
being more abstract than the earlier images.
However, copyright issues prevent me from including some of these images.
©
M. Duffy, 2017, additional images added 2023.
Excerpts from the Lectionary
for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second
typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights
reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without
permission in writing from the copyright owner.
