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Giovanni Martini da Udine, 'The Virgin and Child with Saints', probably about 1500-25

About the work

Overview

The Virgin Mary sits high on a throne of rough-hewn rock while two angels hover with the crown of heaven above her head. The infant Christ stands naked on her lap, dangling a pair of cherries, symbolic of the fruit of Paradise, from a thread.

Saint George is shown as a young knight on horseback. The severed head and dead body of the dragon he has just slain lie at his horse’s feet. Saint James the Greater holds his pilgrim staff and introduces the donor of the altarpiece to the Virgin and Child. The man, whose identity is unknown, kneels with his red cap in his hands. The artist has not flattered his client, recording the man’s stubbly double chin, his bald head and the wrinkles at the back of his neck.

Most of Giovanni Martini da Udine’s career was spent in Friuli, north of Venice, and he was particularly renowned as a sculptor of carved wooden altarpieces. This is one of his major surviving painted altarpieces.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Virgin and Child with Saints George, James the Greater and a Donor
Artist dates
about 1470-5; died 1535
Date made
probably about 1500-25
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
247.7 × 144.8 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1867
Inventory number
NG778
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

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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