This late fifteenth-century panel of the Virgin and Child with Donors and Patron Saints has been attributed to various masters. Until recently, it was considered a work from the hand of an anonymous Cologne master, but it is now placed in the environment of a Bruges master, either the Master of the Legend of Saint Ursula or the Master of the Legend of Saint Lucia, both contemporaries of Hans Memling. This is based on striking similarities in style and composition. The composition that we find here was apparently very popular in Bruges at the end of the 15th Century. On either side of Mary's throne, the donors are kneeling in prayer. Behind them are the patron saints with their attributes: John the Baptist with the lamb and Barbara with the tower, in which, according to legend, she was locked up by her father. According to medieval custom, the donors are depicted considerably smaller than the saints.
| Artist |
Anonymous Master
|
|---|---|
| Title | The Virgin and Child with John the Baptist, Saint Barbara and Donors |
| Date | ca. 1475 - ca. 1500 |
| Period | 15th century |
| Location | Bruges TGN |
| Collection | paintings AAT |
| Object type | oil paintings (visual works) AAT |
| Inventory number | 1969-E |
| Acquisition credit |
gift
The Friends of the Museum Ghent 1969 |
| Current whereabouts | Work currently not on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1969-E |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/2978/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus | 300055874 religious symbolism AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
11F4211
Mary sitting or enthroned, the Christ-child in front of her, standing in her lap (or in front of her bosom)
Iconclass
11F713(+5) Christ-child looking towards saint(s) or donor(s) ~ Madonna-representations (+ donor(s), supplicant(s), whether or not with patron saint(s)) Iconclass 11H saints Iconclass 11H(JOHN THE BAPTIST) John the Baptist; possible attributes: book, reed cross, baptismal cup, honeycomb, lamb, staff Iconclass 11HH female saints Iconclass 11HH(BARBARA) the virgin martyr Barbara; possible attributes: book, cannon(ball), crown, cross, chalice with wafer, Dioscuros (her father), peacock feather, sword, torches, mason's tools, tower Iconclass 11HH(BARBARA)11 St. Barbara as patroness Iconclass 11Q511 the Bible as a book Iconclass 34B11 dog Iconclass 41A361 tower (of house or building) Iconclass 47I2133 lamb Iconclass 73 New Testament Iconclass |
| School / Style | Early Netherlandish |
| Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. I, p. 170-171 (ill.)) |
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