Description
The unprecedented realism and sense of solidity conveyed by Robert Campin's figures made the painter (ca. 1375-1444) one of the greatest 15th-century Netherlandish artists. His powerful, full-length depiction of the nursing Madonna and Child (now in Frankfurt, Germany) seems to have been the prototype for small, circular versions, such as this, used for private devotion.
The period's emphasis on the human qualities of Christ and on Mary's role as his mother found expression in the new realistic style. The circular format is based on the shape of 15th-century mirrors- here reflecting the ideal of Christian love expressed in the humility and care of a nursing mother.
The frame and painted panel are both carved from the same piece of wood.
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