Italian, North, 'The Virgin and Child with Roses and Laurels', about 1510-20

The Virgin Mary sits on a stone bench and holds the infant Christ on a cushion on her lap. She may have just lifted him and the cushion from the low wall in front of her. The flowers of the rose bush behind Christ are associated with purity and suffering, reminding us of Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. The laurel bush behind the Virgin is a symbol of distinction and acts as a halo behind her head. The identity of the other shrub behind her is not clear; it probably has an additional meaning relating to the Virgin. On the right an extensive landscape of woods, hills and water stretches out into the distance. The crown of a mountain and part of a sunlit farmhouse peep out from behind the roses.

The parapet may have been an afterthought as the Virgin’s blue cloak passes underneath it, as do the rocks and foliage in the lower right corner. Leaves can also be seen under the Virgin’s headdress. A brush handle was used to manipulate paint in some areas, notably in the shadow of Christ’s left knee, the cushion supporting him and one of the rose petals.

It is uncertain who painted this picture. It was formerly believed to be by Giorgione, Moretto da Brescia or Palma Vecchio, and was once very famous. Unfortunately it is so damaged and has been so extensively overpainted over the years that it is now very difficult to tell who it is by. The Virgin’s pose, turning slightly away from us and cut off across her legs, was popular with many artists working in north-east Italy in the sixteenth century. Previtali used it frequently – for example, in his Virgin and Child with a Supplicant and his Virgin and Child with Saints – but usually for paintings in a horizontal format, including saints. The Virgin and Child are similar in appearance and pose to a Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine and John the Baptist by Sebastiano del Piombo in the Accademia, Venice. The painting is likely to be the work of an artist influenced by Giorgione, and probably dates from between 1510 and 1520. It may be by Cariani, whose Madonna Cucitrice in the Museo Nazionale, Rome, has a similar leafy background, although the manner in which it is painted is closer to the work of Palma Vecchio.