Late Imitator of Rogier van der Weyden, 'The Virgin and Child with an Angel in a Landscape', possibly about 1530
About the work
Overview
This small arched painting shows the Virgin Mary and Christ Child seated in a landscape. Christ, balanced on the Virgin’s knee, reaches out to take something – probably a flower – that is being offered to him by an angel.
The composition is a free version of The Virgin and Child with an Angel (Upton House, Warwickshire). The figures in the Upton House painting are based on a lost composition, the Virgin and Child with a Flower, by Rogier van der Weyden. This was frequently repeated towards or after 1500, especially in Brussels.
The present state of our painting makes it impossible to assess accurately. Under the veils of dirt and varnish it seems to be of very poor quality. The rocky crags and natural arch in the rock are slightly reminiscent of Joachim Patinir but are also found in pictures by van der Weyden. It may tentatively be suggested that the picture was painted in Brussels and dated around 1520. The apparently very poor quality could be an indication that it is by an amateur rather than a professional painter.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Virgin and Child with an Angel in a Landscape
- Artist
- Late Imitator of Rogier van der Weyden
- Artist dates
- about 1399 - 1464
- Date made
- possibly about 1530
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 23.7 × 16.7 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1854
- Inventory number
- NG2157
- 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.
Bibliography
-
1959Levey, Michael, National Gallery Catalogues: The German Schools, London 1959
-
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.