Creative Commons License
The Virgin and Child
(Renaissance Europe )
The Virgin, turned three-quarters to the left, stands in a sort of balcony or loggia, only the upper half of her figure is visible over a parapet. She wears a violet robe and blue mantle; her crowned head is surrounded by a nimbus. Perched on her extended right hand is a green parrot which pecks at the right forefinger of the Child. The Child, clad in a green tunic open in front and exposing the lower half of his body, stands on a fold of the Virgin's mantle spread upon the parapet. The composition is framed between two columns with rings at the middle of their shafts, crocketed capitals and fantastic bases which support a semi-circular arch lined with a double row of cusps and with crockets. Through the arch, behind a purple cloth of honor edged with paillettes of enamel, opens a chapel, its blue groin-vaults studded with stars.
The composition is based on an engraving by Martin Schongauer, in which the Virgin turns the page of a book with her right hand, while the Child holds the parrot on his left hand.
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.
Seligmann Brothers, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1906, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 2/21/1961 | Treatment | cleaned; coated; loss compensation |
| 10/23/1984 | Examination | technical study |
Geographies
France, Limoges (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 6 7/16 x W: 4 7/8 in. (16.4 x 12.4 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1906
Location in Museum
Not on view
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.
44.126