Virgin and Child
Maker
Rogier van der Weyden
(Flemish, ca. 1399 - 1464)
Additional Title(s)
- Madonna and Child
Collections
ClassificationsPAINTINGS
Dateca. 1460
Mediumoil on masonite, transferred from canvas, originally on panel
Dimensions20 9/16 x 13 5/8 x 1 1/2 in. (52.2 x 34.6 x 3.8 cm.)
frame: 22 3/4 x 16 in. (57.8 x 40.6 cm.)
DescriptionThis painting portrays the Virgin and Child on gold background. The Virgin is shown as a pensive mother supporting her child, who plays with a luxurious book she holds. It is possibly half of a diptych, a two-paneled and hinged work, whose other half (now in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium) portrays the patron, Philippe de Croÿ (1435-1511), a diplomat, warrior, and passionate book collector.
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.
Label TextThis masterfully painted work is at once a devotional object and a tender image of the interaction between a mother and her baby. The Virgin gently supports the Child, who stands unsteadily as he reaches out to grab a book, probably a Book of Hours that would have included meditations on Christ’s death. The Child seems more interested in playing with the clasps of the leather-bound volume than in inviting the viewer to contemplate His future sacrifice.Status
On viewObject number26.105
