Virgin and Child

Description The Christ Child and seated Virgin together hold a bird, most likely a European goldfinch. The goldfinch was considered a symbol of the Crucifixion because it has a spot of red on its breast, which, according to legend, was acquired when the bird pulled a thorn out of Christ's Crown of Thorns, and a drop of blood splashed upon it. The Christ Child taking his first step is a popular motif in Swiss sculpture of the 14th and early 15th centuries.

Provenance [Vienna]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1926, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters, 1926