Virgin and Child
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
38.4 × 28.3 cm (15 1/8 × 11 1/8 in.); Framed: 45.8 × 34.3 × 5.1 cm (18 × 13 1/2 × 2 in.)
Classification
oil on panel
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
16303
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This tender painting is an image type known as a Madonna lactans, which depicts the Virgin Mary nursing the infant Jesus, highlighting her role as nurturer and intercessor between the human and divine realms. To convey the close connection between mother and son, Rogier van der Weyden exploited the qualities of oil paint, a highly manipulable medium that can be blended while wet. This characteristic allows for realistic modeling through seamless transitions of light and shadow, seen most poignan...