Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Madonna and Child on a Throne
(Medieval Europe )
Mary is here both virgin and mother. She is Queen of Heaven holding her son, but her long, unbound hair is uncovered- appropriate to a young maiden. The lilies further symbolize her virginal purity, while the roses signify her motherly compassion. Christ's dual nature is also revealed. His robe is trimmed with ermine (worn only by kings), but he plays with his mother's winding spool. According to popular pious meditations, when the Holy Family reached Egypt, Mary sewed and spun cloth to keep them from starving; like a good boy, Jesus helped her.
Once the center panel of a large altarpiece, this is one of the great Spanish works of the period. The style is close to that of Gonzalo Pérez, the major artist of the International Gothic in Valencia. Influenced by Italian painting, that of Valencia is more linear and flamboyant than Netherlandish art of the time.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Louis Quer, Barcelona; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1915, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1962 | The International Style: The Arts in Europe Around 1400. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Spain, Valencia (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 87 3/4 x W: 45 3/4 x D: 6 1/2 in. (222.9 x 116.2 x 16.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1915
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.747