The Virgin and Child Enthroned

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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The Virgin Mary sits on a high marble throne with a curved back, the naked Christ Child asleep in her lap. An eagle crowns the throne. It – like the winged lion, bull and reading man – symbolises one of the authors of the Gospels. The Old Testament is evoked by the stone tablets to either side of the Virgin, carved with the Ten Commandments in Hebrew text. This is the central panel of an enormous altarpiece made for the church of San Giorgio in Ferrara. It was commissioned by the Roverella family to commemorate Lorenzo Roverella, who had been Bishop of Ferrara from 1460 until his death in 1474. Our panel was flanked by two side panels and crowned with a lunette (a semi-circular panel) which shows the lamentation of Christ’s dead body (Louvre, Paris) – a stark contrast to the lively and colourful central image.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

The Virgin and Child Enthroned

Date

mid-1470s

Medium

Oil and egg on poplar

Measurements

H 239 x W 101.6 cm

Accession number

NG772

Acquisition method

Bought, 1867

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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