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Francesco Francia and workshop, 'The Virgin and Child with Two Saints', about 1500-5

About the work

Overview

The Virgin holds the naked infant Christ who stands on a stone ledge and raises his hand in blessing. We do not know the identity of the saints behind them, but the older one may be Saint Jerome or Saint Anthony Abbot.

The holy characters are portrayed in the Italian countryside, making them appear humble, approachable and down to earth. Setting the Virgin and Child in a landscape was a recent innovation in Italian art, popularised by the Venetian painter Giovanni Bellini.

Francia used his central image of the Virgin and Child several times for other compositions, changing the saints that accompany them. The Madonna and Child with Saints Sebastian and Anthony Abbot (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) is almost identical to the National Gallery’s picture. A full-sized drawing, or cartoon, would have been used to trace and transfer the design. The degree of copying suggests that Francia’s assistants may have been involved in painting these pictures.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Virgin and Child with Two Saints
Artist
Francesco Francia and workshop
Artist dates
about 1447 - 1517
Date made
about 1500-5
Medium and support
oil, originally on wood, transferred to wood
Dimensions
78.1 × 62.2 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1860
Inventory number
NG638
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
16th-century Italian Frame

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

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