Artwork
Madonna with Child Jesus
Madonna with Child Jesus is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Jan Gossaert. It dates from 1531 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Mary is shown in a reverent pose with hands clasped in prayer, while the Christ Child is presented in a blessing gesture, underscoring his divine nature.
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, a central subject in Christian iconography. Mary is shown in a reverent pose with hands clasped in prayer, while the Christ Child is presented in a blessing gesture, underscoring his divine nature. The composition emphasizes maternal tenderness and spiritual devotion, aligning with traditional representations of the Madonna and Child theme.
The religious genre and the figures’ iconographic gestures convey themes of intercession and grace, reiterating the sacred bond between mother and son within Christian theology.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on oak panel, a common support for Northern European works of the period. Handling shows the fine, linear precision associated with Gossaert’s mature style, with delicate modeling of faces and drapery achieved through translucent glazes over a warm underlayer. The composition is balanced, centering the Virgin and Child in a shallow, stage-like space, framed by softly modeled folds of Mary’s mantle and Christ’s swaddling.
Formal qualities include the elongated proportions and softly blended transitions typical of Gossaert’s later manner, which soften the earlier Antwerp Mannerist angularity. The color palette is restrained, relying on earthy browns and muted reds to focus attention on the figures, while the modeling of flesh and fabric conveys a quiet monumentality.
History & Provenance
The painting known as Madonna with Child Jesus was created by Jan Gossaert in 1531. Executed in oil paint on an oak panel, the work depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. It is currently held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.
Specific details regarding the original commission, the initial owner, or the precise chain of custody prior to its arrival at the museum are not recorded in the provided sources.
Jan Gossaert's Madonna with Child Jesus is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. The work, executed in oil paint on an oak panel in 1531, is cataloged within the museum's holdings as a religious painting depicting the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. Specific inventory or accession numbers are not provided in the available records. The provided sources do not contain information regarding a history of exhibitions for this artwork.
Overview
The painting 'Madonna with Child Jesus' is an oil on panel work created by Jan Gossaert in 1531. It is now part of the National Museum in Warsaw's collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Gossaert (c. 1478 – 1 October 1532) was a French-speaking painter from the Low Countries also known as Jan Mabuse (the name he adopted from his birthplace, Maubeuge) or Jennyn van Hennegouwe (Hainaut), as he called…
![Saint Jerome Penitent [right panel], by Jan Gossaert](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/jan-gossaert--saint-jerome-penitent-right-panel--0d4ac14f44de87b1-w320.webp)
![Saint Jerome Penitent [left panel], by Jan Gossaert](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/jan-gossaert--saint-jerome-penitent-left-panel--3d396afbb0f8e738-w320.webp)
