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The Virgin Mary, the smiling Christ Child on her lap, sits under a fanciful framework of architecture, sculpture and metalwork which forms the back and canopy for her throne. Stone columns rest on green cushions, which seem to be carved and coloured in a deceptive imitation of reality. Stone branches sprout from the column tops and are entwined in stone acanthus leaves. In the upper corners, two babies, carved from whitish stone, grasp the stems which meet over the Virgin's head.The Virgin holds an open book in one hand but glances sideways at her son. He is playing with the Renaissance equivalent of a bubble maker. The bubble is a reference to an ancient proverb, homo bulla ('man is a bubble'), which was used by artists as a reminder of mortality.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Virgin and Child

Date

early 16th C

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 69.9 x W 51.4 cm

Accession number

NG265

Acquisition method

Bought, 1854

Work type

Painting

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

View venue

Artist or maker

Netherlandish School

View profile

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