Artwork
Madonna and Child
Madonna and Child is a paint painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist Peter Paul Rubens. It dates from 1625 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ Child, a type known as the Nursing Madonna, a common iconographic motif in European religious art.
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ Child, a type known as the Nursing Madonna, a common iconographic motif in European religious art. Mary is shown in a moment of tender intimacy, cradling the infant who turns toward her while holding a closed book, likely a reference to sacred scripture or prophecy. A bouquet of flowers appears beside them, which often symbolizes the Virgin’s purity and the Incarnation.
The composition emphasizes maternal care and divine humanity, aligning with Counter-Reformation devotional ideals that sought to evoke emotional engagement with sacred figures.
The work belongs to the genre of religious painting and reflects Rubens’s engagement with devotional imagery during the early 1620s, when such intimate representations of the Madonna and Child were used to foster personal piety and spiritual connection.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, this work employs a refined handling of pigment to render the intimate domestic scene of the Nursing Madonna. The composition emphasizes soft modeling of figures and careful spatial arrangement, characteristic of Rubens' mature style while integrating Brueghel's precise attention to detail. The surface exhibits subtle glazing techniques that enhance the luminous quality of the drapery and the tactile presence of objects such as the book and bouquet.
The painting measures 151 cm by 108 cm and remains well-preserved, retaining its original color saturation and structural integrity.
History & Provenance
The Madonna and Child was created in 1625 by Peter Paul Rubens, with Jan Brueghel the Younger credited as a co-creator on the work. It was produced as a painting on canvas in the religious genre, depicting a nursing Madonna with a Child alongside a book and a bouquet.
The painting entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, where it remains located. No further details regarding its commission, intermediate ownership, or chain of custody prior to its acquisition by the Berlin museum are documented in the available sources.
The work is held in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, where it is inventoried as a painting by Peter Paul Rubens dated to 1625.
It was included in the museum’s holdings at least as early as the Wikidata record, which lists the Gemäldegalerie Berlin as its location with dimensions of 151 cm in height and 108 cm in width.
Overview
Peter Paul Rubens painted a Madonna and Child in 1625, employing oil on canvas. The work exemplifies the Flemish Baroque style with its vigorous arrangement and saturated palette. Currently the canvas is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ROO-bənz; Dutch:; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat.
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