Artwork
Virgin and Child Supported by Angels
Virgin and Child Supported by Angels is an unspecified painting. It dates from 1515 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains part of the museum’s collection of European religious artworks.
The painting presents the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Christ, a composition identified as the Madonna and Child, with two angels positioned to either side, physically supporting the holy figures. Executed in 1515, the work belongs to the religious painting genre and was created as an expression of Marian devotion common in early sixteenth‑century devotional art. Its iconography emphasizes the divine motherhood and the intercessory role of angels, reinforcing the theological theme of heavenly aid surrounding the sacred family.
The composition is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains part of the museum’s collection of European religious artworks.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Virgin and Child Supported by Angels dates to 1515 and is classified as a religious work of art. It is attributed to an anonymous artist rather than a specific named master. The creation history indicates an inception year of 1515, placing the work in the early sixteenth century.
While the original commission details and the specific circumstances of its creation are not documented in the available records, the piece has a clear ownership trajectory leading to its current status. It is held within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains located as a significant example of anonymous religious painting from this period.
The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is recorded as part of the museum's holdings. According to Wikidata documentation, the work is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is classified within its collection records as a religious painting depicting the Madonna and Child with angels. The work entered the collection with an inception date of 1515, consistent with its dating as an early sixteenth-century piece.
No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented beyond its current institutional placement.
Overview
This painting, titled Virgin and Child Supported by Angels, depicts a central female figure holding an infant, both positioned on a red base. The woman, adorned with a crown and flowing robes, holds the child who reaches towards her. Two winged figures kneel on either side, looking upwards with gentle expressions.
The composition features extensive use of gilding, complemented by red and blue accents on the base and the angels' wings, creating a luminous and devotional image.
Technique & Style
The visual description suggests a painting characterized by rich ornamentation and symbolic color. The extensive gilding in gold would have imparted a radiant, otherworldly glow, a common practice in medieval and early Renaissance religious art to signify divinity and preciousness. Contrasting red and blue accents on the pedestal and angelic wings would have provided visual anchors and symbolic meaning, contributing to the overall solemn and sacred aesthetic of the composition.
Artist & collection
