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Lazzaro Bastiani, 'The Virgin and Child', probably 1480-90

About the work

Overview

This picture is signed on the marble parapet that separates us from the Virgin Mary. She stands behind it and supports the Christ Child, who kneels on a cushion. He is fully dressed; some altarpieces in which the infant Christ is similarly well covered were said to have been commissioned for nuns.

Christ holds a small bird on a string – a goldfinch, barely visible as the paint surface is very worn. Goldfinches were symbols of the Passion (Christ’s torture and crucifixion) and so here acts as a reminder of his sacrifice in adulthood.

The picture has been dated to the middle part of Lazzaro Bastiani’s career, after he worked with Gentile Bellini on paintings for the Scuola Grande di San Marco, Venice (the headquarters of a religious confraternity). The garland of fruit and foliage which hangs behind the Virgin’s head is a decorative feature found in works by Bellini and other artists working in the Veneto, such as Giorgio Schiavone.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Virgin and Child
Artist dates
active 1449; died 1512
Date made
probably 1480-90
Medium and support
egg tempera and oil on wood
Dimensions
83.2 × 64.1 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Presented by the Art Fund, 1905
Inventory number
NG1953
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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