Virgin and Child
ca. 1455–60
Medium
Oil on wood
Dimensions
8 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (21.6 x 16.5 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Accession Number
30.95.280
Tags
Art Historical Context
Dieric Bouts, a master of the Early Netherland Renaissance active in Leuven (modern-day Belgium), crafted this tender *Virgin and Child* around 1455–60. just 8½ × 6½ inches, this oil-on-wood panel exemplifies the intimate devotional art prized by 15th-century Flemish households Bouts, influenced by pioneers like Jan van Eyck and Rogier der Weyden, specialized in religious scenes that blend profound piety with astonishing realism, capturing the Madonna's serene gaze and the Christ Child's gentle humanity. The painting's small scale and glowing oil glazes—hallmarks of Northern European innovati...