Virgin and Child
Jan van Scorel·1528
Historical Context
Jan van Scorel painted this image of the Virgin and Child around 1528, one of the most fundamental subjects in European devotional art. The intimate bond between mother and child served as a focus for prayer and meditation. The painting is in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Jan van Scorel was the first Dutch painter to study in Italy and bring back Italian Renaissance principles, transforming Netherlandish portraiture and religious painting in the 1520s.
Technical Analysis
The devotional composition is rendered with attention to the expressive and contemplative qualities that served the painting's function as an aid to prayer and meditation.
