The Virgin and Child

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Buy a print or image licence

You can purchase this reproduction

If you have any products in your basket we recommend that you complete your purchase from Art UK before you leave our site to avoid losing your purchases.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

We know little about Montagna’s training but it is possible that he spent some time in Giovanni Bellini’s workshop in Venice. This composition, in which the holy figures are shown in half-length often set against a landscape background and usually behind a marble ledge, was pioneered by the Venetian master.

Christ sits on a Bible, perhaps a reference to the Christian belief that he was the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. Mother and child each hold a cherry, a fruit which symbolised paradise – a reminder that Christ was the son of God and the gateway to heaven.

The simple but striking forms – for example, the broad triangle of the blue mantle and the way in which the anatomy is constructed from firmly outlined bold shapes – were perhaps inspired by Antonello da Messina, who was in Venice from 1475.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Virgin and Child

Date

probably about 1485-7

Medium

Tempera with oil on wood

Measurements

H 64.8 x W 54.6 cm

Accession number

NG802

Acquisition method

Bought, 1869

Work type

Painting

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue