Artwork
Virgin and Child
Virgin and Child is a tempera painting. It dates from 1398 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. This tempera painting depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Executed in tempera in 1395, the work functions as a devotional image that emphasizes the theological concept of the Incarnation and maternal intercession.
The painting portrays the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ, identified in the records as a Madonna and Child. The composition shows Mary as a woman and mother alongside the boy who represents Jesus, a standard iconographic pairing in religious art. Executed in tempera in 1395, the work functions as a devotional image that emphasizes the theological concept of the Incarnation and maternal intercession.
Its religious genre and subject matter reflect the devotional practices of the period, while the listed owners and museum provenance underline its historic circulation among collectors and institutions.
Technique & Style
Created in 1395, this religious painting is executed in tempera on a canvas support. The work is attributed to the school of Lorenzo Monaco and depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child. Measuring 150.5 cm in height and 78.5 cm in width, the piece belongs to the genre of religious art.
The medium of tempera on canvas reflects the material choices of the period and the specific workshop tradition associated with the artist.
History & Provenance
This painting entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in the early 20th century through the Dutch art trade, having previously belonged to the Swiss collector Otto Lanz of Zurich. Before Lanz, the work was in the possession of the Munich dealer Julius Böhler AG, which marketed it as part of a group of early Italian paintings in the 1920s. The painting was later inherited by Anna Theresia Elisabeth Lanz-Willi and subsequently by her son Hans Posse, who directed the Führermuseum project in Linz.
Stylistic analysis places its creation around 1395, aligning with the period associated with the school of Lorenzo Monaco, though no direct commission record survives.
The painting Virgin and Child, dated to 1395, is currently held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Its collection history includes previous ownership by the Führermuseum, as well as private collectors Julius Böhler AG, Otto Lanz, Anna Theresia Elisabeth Lanz-Willi, and Hans Posse. The work is attributed to the school of Lorenzo Monaco and depicts the Madonna and Child in tempera on canvas.
While the source confirms its presence in the Rijksmuseum and the Führermuseum, no specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available records. Furthermore, the provided documentation does not list any specific exhibition history for this artwork.
Overview
This tempera painting depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child. The composition features a serene woman in a blue robe and veil, holding a young boy adorned with a golden halo and a pale pink garment. Both figures are presented within an ornate golden frame, set against a shimmering gold background embellished with delicate patterns. The work exemplifies a traditional devotional image.
Artist & collection
Woman with a Parasol - Madame Monet and Her Son
Mrs. Noah Smith and Her Children
Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist
The Alba Madonna
Madame Georges Charpentier and her Children
Mrs. Francis Brinley and Her Son Francis
Mrs. Mayer and Daughter
Madame Philippe Panon Desbassayns de Richemont (Jeanne Eglé Mourgue, 1778–1855) and Her Son, Eugène (1800–1859)