Spanish, Valencian, 'The Virgin', probably 1450s

The Virgin, shrouded in a blue cloak and a white veil, is set against a gold-leaf background. Her heavenly nature is emphasised by her jewelled hood-trimming and the intricate patterns punched onto the gilded surface of the painting. The Virgin’s incomplete halo suggest that the panel may have been cropped at the top.

A false attribution to the thirteenth-century Italian artist Cimabue appears in an inscription on the back of the panel. Until recently, the painting was thought to be French but new evidence suggests it was made in the region of Valencia, Spain, in the mid-fifteenth century. Pine panels were commonly used in the Mediterranean, particularly in Valencia. The thin layers of oil paint and meticulous attention paid to the decorative motifs recall Netherlandish painting, which the artist could have seen in Spain or by travelling to the Netherlands.

Such bust-length Virgins were frequently paired with images of Christ as the Man of Sorrows, sometimes forming part of a diptych – a number of examples can be found in Valencian collections. These pairings served to emphasise the Virgin’s mourning over Christ’s Passion.