Image scanned from a transparency and color-corrected by Pat Cagney.

Virgin and Child

ArtistFollower of the Master of The Legend of the Magdalene (Flemish, active ca.1485 - ca.1530)

Dateca. 1520-25

MediumOil on panel

DimensionsOverall: 28 3/4 x 20 1/8 in. (73 x 51.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 41 x 31 in. (104.1 x 78.7 cm)

ClassificationsEuropean art

Credit LineGift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation

Object number2014.3.3

Terms

Religion
Madonna
Angel
Netherlands

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Not on view

DescriptionOil on wood painting. The Virgin Mary sits within an enclosed space, on the ground, with her child. An angel hovers just outside of the enclosed garden. She holds a thornless rose in her hand; inscribed on her cloak is a prayer, written in Latin.

Label TextFollower of the Master of the Legend of the Magdalene Flemish, active ca. 1480–1530 Virgin and Child, ca. 1520–25 Oil on wood Modern eyes might see little more than a Virgin and Child in a landscape. Yet medieval viewers would have sensed a set of symbols extolling the Virgin’s virtues. Her walled enclosure is not merely a garden, but the biblical “enclosed garden,” a metaphor for her chastity. Rather than a regal throne, she sits on the ground, a humble perch signifying her humility. Since devotional images like this one were meant to inspire prayer, a Latin verse woven into the Virgin’s cloak would have prompted the faithful to begin their devotions. It reads, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, remember me thy son, have pity on me.” Gift of the Irene Leache Memorial Foundation 2014.3.3