Follower of the Master of the Saint Ursula Legend (Bruges), 'The Virgin and Child with Two Angels', about 1490

The Virgin Mary is shown in close-up with the Christ Child cradled in one arm in front of a cloth of honour. She wears a purple dress, which now looks greyish, with turned back cuffs. Christ is balanced rather precariously on the shelf at the front, his limbs awkwardly splayed in a contorted pose, perhaps to display his genitals as a reminder of his humanity. He reaches out to grasp the carnations that his mother holds. Carnations – nagelbloem (‘nail-flowers’) in Dutch – were associated with the Crucifixion.

The composition is a distant echo of Dirk Bouts‘ painting The Virgin and Child. The artist is unknown, but was probably working in or near Bruges around 1490. His figure types are similar to those of an artist known as the Master of the Saint Ursula Legend. By the standards of the day, the artist ​was a poor draughtsman. ​He placed the eyes too far away from the nose, could not draw hands in proportion to bodies, and was unable to articulate legs, arms and fingers. He was however a passably competent painter. Perhaps he was the son of a painter compelled to take up his father’​s craft in order to inherit his business.

The paint surface is obscured by dirt and discoloured varnishes. A scratch through the Virgin’s mouth and losses in the eyes of all the figures may be the result of deliberate damage.