On-line gallery
- Reference number
- P01932
- Author
- Orley, Bernard van (Flemish)
- Title
- Virgin and Child
- Chronology
- Ca. 1516
- Technique
- Support
- Measures
- 98 cm x 71 cm
- School
- Theme
- Shown
- Yes
- Entrance
- COLECCION REAL
- Procedence
- Royal Collection
In her hand, Mary holds a pear, one
of the fruits of Paradise, which
presents her as the new Eve. The
Christ Child sits on her knees and
plays with its opposite, a rosary
that alludes to the Passion. Saint
John, as a boy, stands behind a
column, pointing to the Sacred
Scriptures that announce Christ's
mission as savior, which is the
message that underlies this devout
representation of the Virgin and
Child. The scene takes place under
renaissance architecture in the
form of a gallery or observatory
open to a garden. Behind it lies a
broad landscape with a river.
Between 1515 and 1520, van Orley
made several works on the same
subject, but this one stands out
for its background, as well as for
the couple in the garden with their
backs to the viewer. These are
similar to what is depicted in Jan
van Eyck's Madonna of Chancellor
Rolin, at the Louvre in Paris.
Location on the map
