Virgin and Child, Holding an Apple

The Master of the Legend of the Magdalene painted this Virgin and Child Holding an Apple around 1500 in Brussels. The apple held by the Christ Child refers to the fruit of the Fall, which Christ's incarnation redeemed. This refined Brussels master specialized in graceful devotional paintings with elegant, elongated figures. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique. Such devotional panels served both liturgical contexts in churches and chapels and private devotional use in the homes of wealthy families who maintained personal altars and oratories.

Oil on panel with the Master's characteristic refined technique and elegant figure types. The symbolic apple and the tender interaction between mother and child are rendered with the Brussels school's luminous palette.