The Virgin and Child

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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The Virgin and Christ Child are framed by a classical marble arch decorated with swags of fruit. Christ balances precariously on the sill, uncertain on his feet; his anxious mother clearly thinks he is about to fall off the edge. In a gesture familiar to all parents of toddlers, she holds her hand near enough to catch him if he stumbles, and he reaches out towards her to steady himself.Christ holds a pear but is more interested in a bowl of cherries offered to him by a naked putto (young boy); look closely and you can see a translucent moth on top of them. Versions of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet -- Alpha and Omega -- appear on either side of the arch. This is a title given to Christ in the Book of Revelation.There are only a few paintings we can confidently attribute to Giorgio Schiavone -- this is one of them.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Virgin and Child

Date

about 1456-60

Medium

Tempera on wood

Measurements

H 55.9 x W 41.3 cm

Accession number

NG904

Acquisition method

Bought, 1874

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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