Artwork
Madonna and child
Madonna and child is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Master of the Female Half-Lengths. It dates from 1530 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Christ, embodying the traditional Madonna and Child iconography of maternal tenderness and divine protection. Mary is rendered as a young woman with chestnut hair, her bodice open in the manner of a nursing Madonna, while the child rests on a cushion beside a cherry, a fruit often associated with Paradise and the Passion. The intimate setting, with Mary seated and the child positioned on her lap, underscores themes of nurturing and spiritual guardianship within a religious context, conveying both the human and sacred dimensions of the mother-child relationship.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a technique typical of early sixteenth-century Netherlandish half-length compositions.
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a technique typical of early sixteenth-century Netherlandish half-length compositions. The panel measures approximately 24 × 19 cm, reflecting the modest scale of devotional images intended for private devotion. The Master of the Female Half-Lengths rendered the Madonna and Child with delicate modeling of flesh, subtle chiaroscuro, and a detailed interior space that includes a cushion and a cherry, emphasizing both tenderness and symbolic meaning. The half-length format and intimate gaze underscore a devotional focus on maternal closeness.
History & Provenance
The panel is attributed to the Master of the Female Half-Lengths and dated circa 1530. It was made in Antwerp. Early ownership traces to Alphonse de Stuers before the work entered the Rijksmuseum's holdings, where it remains in the collection.
The work's small scale (24 × 19 cm) and iconography align with Northern European devotional practices of the period.
Legacy
The work is regarded as a characteristic example of early Netherlandish half-length Marian imagery associated with the Master of the Female Half-Lengths. Now in the Rijksmuseum, its provenance, including ownership by Alphonse de Stuers, attests to its place in collections of Netherlandish art and its continued relevance in museum displays.
Overview
This oil painting, titled Madonna and Child, depicts a woman cradling an infant on her lap. The composition centers on the figures, with the woman adorned in a green dress and a red cloak, her hair neatly styled. The child, bare-chested, engages with a red-beaded necklace held by the woman.
The artwork presents a traditional religious subject, rendered with a focus on the intimate connection between the two figures.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Master of the Female Half-Lengths
The Master of the Female Half-Lengths is a notname coined by the German art historian Max J.
