Withypool Triptych, Virgin and Child with Saint Joseph and Donor

Image credit: Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives

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Notes

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Paul Withypool, who commissioned this altarpiece from the Venetian artist Antonio Solario, was the son of a Bristol merchant. He traded largely from London and was to own much property in Suffolk. He is depicted kneeling in prayer in the central panel and near him is a Latin inscription, reading 'Pray for the soul of Pauli Withypole' and on the book is 'Mother of God remember me'. It is in this spirit of piety in anxious anticipation of an afterlife that donors' portraits were often included in medieval altarpieces.

A bird was often seen as a symbol of the departing soul and here the goldfinch held by the child anticipates Christ's crucifixion. Legend related that the goldfinch acquired its red spot when it plucked a thorn from the head of Christ on the road to Calvary.

Bristol Museum & Art Gallery

Bristol

Title

Withypool Triptych, Virgin and Child with Saint Joseph and Donor

Date

1514

Medium

oil on canvas on panel

Measurements

H 78.7 x W 91.5 cm

Accession number

K1394

Acquisition method

purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund, 1937

Work type

Painting

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