Jan van Coninxloo and Associates, 'The Virgin and Child Enthroned', about 1530
About the work
Overview
In this small painting, the Virgin and Christ Child sit on an enormous and elaborately decorated throne in front of a distant landscape. Christ’s outstretched arms recall the Crucifixion, as do the cross and whip he holds.
This was perhaps the work of at least two artists. Technical analysis reveals a lot of underdrawing (the preliminary outlining of a composition) and many changes. The throne and canopy, which were originally smaller, were perhaps initially the work of a specialist painter. Jan van Coninxloo seems to have altered it considerably, adding figures of the Virgin and Child inspired by Jean Gossart’s The Virgin and Child (also in the National Gallery’s collection).
The painting has an integral frame – both frame and panel are carved from a single piece of oak. In one place the Virgin’s dress is painted to overlap onto the frame’s surface.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Virgin and Child Enthroned
- Artist
- Jan van Coninxloo and Associates
- Artist dates
- active 1514; died probably after 1560
- Date made
- about 1530
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 28.9 × 21.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by Sir Charles Archer Cook, 1916
- Inventory number
- NG3045
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Lorne Campbell, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings: With French Paintings before 1600’, London 2014; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2010Jan Gossaert's RenaissanceThe National Gallery (London)23 February 2011 - 30 May 2011
Bibliography
-
1945Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: Early Netherlandish School, London 1945
-
1955Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: Early Netherlandish School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1955
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1987Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Early Netherlandish School, 3rd edn, London 1987
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2014
L. Campbell, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings: With French Paintings before 1600, 2 vols, London 2014
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.