Artwork
Virgin and Child
Virgin and Child is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1340 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Created in 1340, this religious painting illustrates the divine relationship between the mother and her son, a theme common to the genre of religious imagery.
The artwork depicts the Madonna and Child, a central subject in religious art representing the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus Christ. Created in 1340, this religious painting illustrates the divine relationship between the mother and her son, a theme common to the genre of religious imagery. The composition focuses on the figures of Mary and the Christ Child, emphasizing their spiritual significance within Christian tradition.
As a work classified under religious art, the piece serves to visualize the theological concept of the Incarnation through the intimate portrayal of the two figures.
History & Provenance
The Virgin and Child is dated to circa 1340 on the basis of stylistic analysis and institutional records. The work entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art as accession 37.159, where it remains located. Its anonymous maker, aligned with fourteenth-century Sienese or Florentine traditions, produced a panel depicting the Madonna and Child flanked by saints, a composition typical of Italian religious painting of the period. The painting’s early provenance is undocumented, and no direct commission record has been identified in surviving sources.
The painting known as Virgin and Child, dating to approximately 1340, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The museum assigns it the accession number 37.159. Classified as a religious work depicting the Madonna and Child, the piece is attributed to an anonymous artist.
While the sources confirm its current institutional location and catalog identifier, they do not provide specific details regarding a chronological exhibition history or past display records for this particular object.
Overview
This artwork, titled Virgin and Child, depicts a woman cradling a young child. The composition centers on the maternal figure, who is robed in dark fabric accented with gold, her head covered by a lighter veil. The child stands upright on her left arm, gazing directly forward.
Though the painting shows signs of age, faint traces of its original palette, including red, blue, and gold, remain visible.
Technique & Style
The painting's aesthetic relies on a palette that, despite fading over time, still reveals its initial richness. Hints of red, blue, and gold suggest a deliberate use of color to define forms and add decorative detail, particularly on the woman's attire. The artist employed soft lines and gentle curves to render the faces, contributing to the overall calm and tender mood of the depiction.
Artist & collection
