Artwork
Madonna and Child
Madonna and Child is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Jan Sanders van Hemessen. It is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Mary is depicted holding the child on her lap while he reaches toward a flower, a symbol of innocence and the Passion that will later unfold.
The painting shows a tender interaction between the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ, a common motif in Catholic devotional art that emphasizes maternal affection and divine protection. Mary is depicted holding the child on her lap while he reaches toward a flower, a symbol of innocence and the Passion that will later unfold. The work belongs to the religious genre of the late Renaissance and was created for private contemplation in Antwerp.
Technique & Style
This Madonna and Child is executed in oil paint on panel, a support and medium characteristic of sixteenth-century Netherlandish devotional painting. The work measures 140 cm in height by 109 cm in width, giving it a substantial vertical format suited to its religious subject. Classified as a painting in the religious genre, it depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child. The composition is attributed to Jan Sanders van Hemessen, with the panel dated 1574.
No further details regarding handling, brushwork, condition, or stylistic qualities are documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Painted in 1574, the work is documented by its inscribed date on the panel. It entered the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (KMSKA) as part of the Flemish Art Collection, where it has remained. The museum’s records list the painting as a work after Jan Sanders van Hemessen within its holdings of religious art.
The painting Madonna and Child, attributed to Jan Sanders van Hemessen and dated 1574, is held by the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp within the Vlaamse Kunstcollectie. The work is executed in oil paint on a panel measuring 140 cm in height and 109 cm in width. While the artwork depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, the provided sources do not list a specific inventory or accession number for the piece. Additionally, no exhibition history is recorded in the available documentation.
Context
Jan Sanders van Hemessen's Madonna and Child, dated 1574, represents a late example of the artist's engagement with religious imagery during the Northern Renaissance. The work is currently held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, where it is cataloged as a painting on panel executed in oil. While specific scholarly debates regarding this particular canvas are not detailed in the available records, its attribution to Hemessen situates it within his broader oeuvre of devotional subjects.
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, adhering to traditional iconography while reflecting the stylistic characteristics of the artist's period. Its presence in a major Flemish public collection underscores its recognized status within the canon of 16th-century religious art.
Overview
Jan Sanders van Hemessen’s Madonna and Child (1574) is an oil painting that presents a serene Virgin holding the infant Jesus. Rendered in a restrained palette, the composition centers on the figures against a stormy sky, emphasizing their intimacy. The work is part of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp’s collection.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Sanders van Hemessen (c. 1500 – c. 1566) was a leading Flemish Renaissance painter, belonging to the group of Italianizing Flemish painters called the Romanists, who were influenced by Italian Renaissance painting.…
