The Virgin and Child with singing angels
1515 - 1520. Oil on panel.On display elsewhere
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.
During the restoration of the painting in the winter of 2025-2026, it was observed that the figure of Saint John the Baptist appearing on the right side of the composition was a repainting carried out after the 18th century. This date is derived from the fact that it is similar in texture and technique to other repaintings seen elsewhere in the painting and that, in one of them, in the sky, Prussian blue has been detected, a pigment that began to be used in the 18th century. The figure of Saint John covered two singing angels and the hands of a third, holding a scroll with musical notation, all of which were in good condition. The restorer removed the repainting, exposing the original angels. The repainting may date from the unknown moment when the size of the scene was reduced on the right and left sides. The angels were partially cut off, and that must have been the reason for covering them by adding a new figure, more adapted to the new proportions of the composition. During the restoration, remains of red curtains were found in the corners of the work, which must also have been removed as they were mutilated after the reduction of the support (Information updated by Alejandro Vergara, February 2026).
