Italian, Umbrian, 'The Virgin and Child', about 1473

Christ stands upright with the support of his mother, the Virgin Mary. He holds a transparent crystal orb and is clutching his semi-transparent drapery, which hangs over one shoulder like a Roman toga. He is intended to look like a miniature Roman emperor, a pose which conveys his spiritual authority even though he’s still an infant.

The size and intimacy of this image of the Virgin gazing lovingly at the infant Christ suggest that it was made for private prayer at home. Since it would have been viewed up close, every detail is painted with delicacy and precision. We can see every petal and all the stamens of the roses strung on the hanging garland that frames the Virgin’s head, and the highlights of her cloak are painted with fine gold lines so that she appears to be radiating light. Even the leaves of the tiny trees in the hazy landscape background are tinted with gold as they catch the early morning light.

The artist created a beautiful and precious possession as well as an object for spiritual reflection: the garland is tied with a gold ribbon that flutters of its own accord in elegant ripples; the Virgin’s cloak is clasped with a gold brooch, a faceted ruby at its centre and pearls around its edge. She stands behind a low wall covered with a bright red and gold carpet – a precious and expensive textile which, in the fifteenth century, was never placed on the floor. Behind her is another low wall, this one of carved marble with a blue and gold frieze decorated with antique-style motifs.

Although this artist is most likely to have been working in Perugia, the main town in Umbria, this type of image derives from those made by the Florentine painter Verrocchio. There are similarities, too, in the way the artist has painted the Virgin’s face: compare the heavy lids, wavy lips and fleshy chin to The Virgin and Child with two angels by Verrocchio. The picture has been associated with a number of artists working in Perugia in the 1470s, including Raphael’s master Perugino, and another Umbrian painter, Pintoricchio. The frame is ‘engaged’, meaning that it is original and is attached to the panel.