The Virgin and Child

After Adriaen Isenbrandt (Ysenbrant).

The picture The Virgin and Child has features of the Dutch Early Renaissance school. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, intimate images were painted of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, expressing the sanctity of motherhood. This picture reflects exactly this interpretation: a delicate lady has a sorrowful look, and embraces the infant protectively and respectfully. He is standing firmly on his mother’s lap, with his face against her cheek, and his naked body is covered with translucent cloth. The glow of their halos is barely visible against the dark background. The picture was painted in the first half of the 16th century, and is a rather accurate copy of a famous work by Adriaen Isenbrandt (1480/90–1551). Painted in about 1520, the picture was reproduced several times in the same century. Some of the copies are attributed to the artist himself. It is interesting that the composition of Isenbrandt’s picture might not have been original either. Twenty years earlier, the German painter Hans Holbein the Elder (ca 1460–1524) produced a similar Picture which is now in the Church of St James in Straubing in Bavaria. Its composition is identical to the picture painted by the artist from Bruges: the figures, the clothes, and even the pattern of the folds, are almost exactly the same. However, the pictures have a few important differences. In Holbein’s picture, Mary’s red garment is more sumptuous, and the texture of the fabric looks more natural. Holbein’s picture was also copied many times in the 16th century. During the lifetimes of these artists, copying works by renowned painters, and the replication of details, was a common artistic practice, free of the negative consequences of modern times. 

Text author Dalia Vasiliūnienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Heaven and Beyond. Works of religious art from the collection of Rolandas Valiūnas and the law firm Valiunas Ellex“, 31 May–24 September 2016, Church Heritage Museum, Vilnius. Curators Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė.

After Adriaen Isenbrandt (Ysenbrant).

The picture The Virgin and Child has features of the Dutch Early Renaissance school. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, intimate images were painted of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, expressing the sanctity of motherhood. This picture reflects exactly this interpretation: a delicate lady has a sorrowful look, and embraces the infant protectively and respectfully. He is standing firmly on his mother’s lap, with his face against her cheek, and his naked body is covered with translucent cloth. The glow of their halos is barely visible against the dark background. The picture was painted in the first half of the 16th century, and is a rather accurate copy of a famous work by Adriaen Isenbrandt (1480/90–1551). Painted in about 1520, the picture was reproduced several times in the same century. Some of the copies are attributed to the artist himself. It is interesting that the composition of Isenbrandt’s picture might not have been original either. Twenty years earlier, the German painter Hans Holbein the Elder (ca 1460–1524) produced a similar Picture which is now in the Church of St James in Straubing in Bavaria. Its composition is identical to the picture painted by the artist from Bruges: the figures, the clothes, and even the pattern of the folds, are almost exactly the same. However, the pictures have a few important differences. In Holbein’s picture, Mary’s red garment is more sumptuous, and the texture of the fabric looks more natural. Holbein’s picture was also copied many times in the 16th century. During the lifetimes of these artists, copying works by renowned painters, and the replication of details, was a common artistic practice, free of the negative consequences of modern times. 

Text author Dalia Vasiliūnienė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album HEAVEN AND BEYOND (2016). Compiler Dalia Vasiliūnienė. Text authors Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė
Expositions: “Heaven and Beyond. Works of religious art from the collection of Rolandas Valiūnas and the law firm Valiunas Ellex“, 31 May–24 September 2016, Church Heritage Museum, Vilnius. Curators Dalia Vasiliūnienė, Skaidrė Urbonienė.