New photography by Ed Pollard captured with a digital camera-2008.

Virgin and Child

Artist Jan Gossaert (Netherlandish, 1478 - 1532)

CultureFlemish

Dateca. 1525-1530

MediumOil on panel

DimensionsOverall: 18 3/4 x 14 1/2 in. (47.6 x 36.8 cm)
Overall, Frame: 19 3/4 x 18 in. (50.2 x 45.7 cm)
Overall, Support: 14 x 18 5/8 x 3/8 in. (35.6 x 47.3 x 1 cm)

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.491

Collections

European Art before 1945

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 202

DescriptionThis is an idealized oil painting on panel of the Madonna and child. The Madonna, draped in red, and child, who sits on her lap, both hold a golden yellow fruit.

Label TextJan Gossaert, called Mabuse Netherlandish, 1478–1532 Virgin and Child, ca. 1525–1530 Oil on panel “Thus we must restrict, adorn, compose, comb, and wash our passions which, just like hair, spring up from our hearts.” —Petrus Bercorius, 1340 The Virgin’s elaborate hairdo may seem showy for the virtuous mother of Christ. In fact, it serves as a symbol of her moral integrity. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, hair—especially women’s hair—was viewed as the seat of the passions. Sinful women like Eve were often depicted with free-flowing tresses, suggesting their emotions were wildly unbound. By contrast, the Virgin’s carefully combed and tightly knotted coiffeur serves as the resplendent crown of her virtue. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.49 ProvenanceCheltenham collection of John Rushout, second Baron Northwick, prior to 1859; Auctioned in London, 1859; Sir Thomas Phillips, Bart., Middle Hilll, 1859; ...David Koetser, New York, 1952; collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum, 1971. Exhibition History"Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasure: Jan Gossaert's Renaissance," The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, October 6, 2010 - January 17, 2011; The National Gallery, London, UK, February 23 - May 30, 2011Published ReferencesMartha Stokes. "Spotlighting the Madonna and Child," _The Chrysler Museum Bulletin_. Vol. 10, no. 12. Norfolk, VA: Chrysler Museum. 12/1980: n.p. Chrysler Museum. _Selections from the Permanent Collection: The Chrysler Museum_. Norfolk, VA: Chrysler Museum of Art. 1982: 26. Jefferson C. Harrison. "Northern Art: Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries", _The Chrysler Museum Gallery Guide_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Va. 1984. No. 7. Jefferson C. Harrison, _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculptures, and Drawings_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, 1991, 10, #9. Jefferson C. Harrison, "Jan Gossaert's _Madonna and Child_: A Newly Proposed Mabuse Triptych," _The Chrysler Museum Journal_ 1 (1994): front cover, 2. Jeff Harrison, _Collecting with Vision: Treasures From the Chrysler Museum of Art_ (London: D. Giles Ltd., 2007), 24, fig. 12. ISBN: 978-0-940744-72-1 Maryan W. Ainsworth, _Man, Myth, and Sensual Pleasures: Jan Gossart's Renaissance_, exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 2010, 281-285.