Artwork
Madonna with Female Saint
Madonna with Female Saint is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Adriaen Isenbrandt. It dates from 1550 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition underscores themes of divine maternity and intercession, aligning with Northern European devotional traditions of the mid-sixteenth century.
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, flanked by a female saint who is presented in profile. The Madonna’s placement at the center, with the Christ Child seated on her lap, emphasizes her role as intercessor and maternal figure. The female saint, positioned to the right, is identified by her gesture of prayer and the modest, folded hands, reinforcing her status as a holy witness rather than a narrative participant.
The composition underscores themes of divine maternity and intercession, aligning with Northern European devotional traditions of the mid-sixteenth century.
History & Provenance
The painting Madonna with Female Saint by Adriaen Isenbrandt was created in 1550. Executed in oil on panel, the work depicts religious subjects including the Madonna and Child. It is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
The specific commission details and earlier ownership history prior to its arrival at the museum are not recorded in the available sources.
The painting is held by the Bavarian State Painting Collections in Munich, where it is displayed at the Alte Pinakothek.
It is inventoried as Alte Pinakothek, Inv.-Nr. 637. The work was first recorded in the collection in 1836 as part of the Pinakothek’s holdings.
The painting has been included in several exhibitions, notably “Adriaen Isenbrant und seine Werkstatt” at the Groeningemuseum, Bruges, in 2000, and “From Van Eyck to Bruegel: Early Netherlandish Painting in Germany” at the Alte Pinakothek in 2017.
Overview
Adriaen Isenbrandt’s Madonna with Female Saint is an oil painting dating to roughly 1550. Executed in the Flemish tradition, it presents the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ surrounded by a group of women, one of whom holds a cross or book, while a lamb rests at their feet. The landscape behind them is populated with trees and gentle hills, creating a serene garden setting.
Technique & Style
Isenbrandt employs the layered oil technique characteristic of early Netherlandish painters, achieving fine detail in fabrics and foliage. The luminous color palette and delicate modeling of faces reflect a conservative workshop approach, preserving the devotional realism of earlier Flemish art while incorporating subtle Renaissance spatial cues, such as a shallow depth created by the garden backdrop.
Context
During the mid‑1500s, Flemish art continued to serve the devotional needs of churches and private worship, often depicting the Madonna and Child with saints as intercessors. Isenbrandt’s composition reflects this demand, aligning with contemporary iconographic conventions while maintaining the stylistic continuity of the earlier Netherlandish visual language.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Adriaen Isenbrandt or Adriaen Ysenbrandt (between 1480 and 1490 – July 1551) was a painter in Bruges, in the final years of Early Netherlandish painting, and the first of the Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting of the Northern…
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