Women in Scripture Art Reflections

Fleur Dorrell explores paintings of 16 different women in the Bible as interpreted by some inspiring artists.

Ruth

Fleur reflects on the story of Ruth through the lens of British watercolourist Thomas Matthews Rooke.

Abigail

Fleur considers Guido Reni’s painting of the meeting between David and Abigail.

Hannah

Fleur considers Hannah's story and the Victorian artist Frank W.W. Topham's depiction of her.

Deborah

Fleur shares the story of Deborah, a Judge and Prophet, whilst considering this stained glass window by John Francis Bentley.

Mary

Fleur unpacks Henry Ossawa Tanner's illuminating painting of the Annunciation.

Martha

Fleur explains the multiple meanings present in Diego Velazquez's interpretation of Martha's story.

Sarah

Discover the dramatic life of Sarah from the book of Tobit as Fleur looks closely at this work by Dutch artist Jan Steen.

The Haemorrhaging Woman

Fleur takes a look at this incredible yet unnamed woman's story as described in Scripture and through art.

Lydia

Fleur celebrates Lydia of Thyatira, a successful businesswoman and Philippian convert, while reflecting on this painting by the artist Edward Irvine Halliday.

Mary Magdalene

Fleur looks at the many different ways Mary Magdalene has been depicted in art.

Mary of Bethany

Fleur takes a closer look at the life of Mary of Bethany and this wonderful painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer.

Miriam

Fleur highlights the central role Miriam plays in Israel's history and how she interprets the Exodus through song inspired by this mosaic in Jerusalem.

Simon Peter’s mother-in-law

Fleur compares the Synoptic gospel accounts of the healing of Simon Peter’s Mother-in-Law while studying James Tissot’s painting of this miracle.

Samaritana (Samaritan Woman) by Julio Romero de Torres (1874-1930). Oil on canvas. 1920. Museo Julio Romero de Torres, Cordoba, Spain.

Fleur looks at a symbolist painting to understand this well-known story with fresh eyes. She shows us how Jesus breaks through the barriers of gender, ethnicity, and holiness to have the longest conversation with anyone throughout John’s Gospel.

Susanna and the Elders

Fleur looks at the female artist, Artemisia Gentileschi’s interpretation of this story through a different lens with some fascinating revelations.

The Syro-Phoenician Woman

Fleur looks at a modern painting of the Syro-Phoenician woman in Mark’s Gospel by the artist Michael Cook.