Virgin and Child

The Master of the Magdalen Legend

Summary

This panel painting of the embracing Virgin and Child derives from Rogier van der Weyden's exquisite representation of the subject in the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (inv. no. 44.535), dated c. 1483. Van der Weyden's painting was a popular model for private devotional works, with numerous miracles attributed to it. This version is less competent, but the artist nonetheless manages to emphasise the tender relationship between mother and child, and successfully conveys the fragility of a new-born infant (even if his actions imply an older, more self-aware baby). The intimate scale of the object suggests that it may have been the left-hand side of a diptych, a portable altarpiece whose other side probably held a portrait of a donor in prayer, which would have hinged open to stand on a table for daily devotions. The picture has been extended on either side to fit into an oblong frame. The artist was active in Brussels in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, but there is no doubt that several hands can be recognised in his workshop. He takes his name from an altarpiece depicting scenes from the legend of St Mary Magdalen, now split between several locations. The gilded background with black spots is derived from a tradition established by Rogier van der Weyden and Hugo van der Goes.

Display Label

Virgin and Child 1483-90 Master of the Magdalen Legend active around 1483 - 1520 Oil on panel Mary is often portrayed as a remote regal figure but here the tender relationship of mother and child emphasizes her humanity. In her gaze there is sorrow as well as love: she knows she cannot change her son’s tragic destiny. The artist worked in Brussels in the late 1400s He is named after a series of paintings depicting the life of Mary Magdalen. This work, like many of his other paintings, shows the influence of Rogier van der Weyden who was also working in Brussels in the mid 1400s. Gift of Henry Boddington 1911.27