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The Virgin Mary glances down at her baby son, Christ, who clutches a pomegranate in his tiny fist. The fruit, with its blood-red juice, was a reminder of the torture and death he would face at the Crucifixion. Mary was also known as the Queen of Heaven, and her coronation by Christ was a popular subject in Renaissance painting. Here, two tiny hovering angels place a solid gold crown encrusted with pearls and gemstones upon her head. The crown’s magnificence matches that of her brocade gown, jewelled cloak and translucent veil. The excess of decorative detail reflects paintings by fifteenth-century Netherlandish artists who relished depicting a variety of textures and finishes accurately, something enabled through their great skill at painting using oil.
Title
The Virgin and Child
Date
about 1460-9
Medium
Oil on wood
Measurements
H 43.2 x W 34.3 cm
Accession number
NG2618
Acquisition method
Salting Bequest, 1910
Work type
Painting
