The Virgin and Child

The composition derives ultimately from the lost Virgin and Child by Robert Campin, known from versions and, most particularly, from the celebrated woodcut (in reverse; Brunswick, Herzog Anton-Ulrich Museum), that introduced such motifs as the hands of the Virgin, the position of the Child and, ultimately, the type of the half-figure Virgin. Also deriving from Campin is the rosary held by the Child, introduced in a lost work of which the composition is suggested by de Coter's Saint Luke painting the Virgin (Vieure, parish church) and Van Orley's Virgin and Child in the Prado, Madrid. The immediate influence on the present work, however, would appear to be that of Hugo van der Goes. Many of the latter's works share the same influence of Campin/Flemalle: one might consider, for example, the Virgin and Child by a follower of Van der Goes in the National Gallery, London, which shares the upright-seated Child and the unusual motif of the rosary, as well as the fur-lined gown of the Virgin. Similarly, Van der Goes' Altarpiece of the Virgin and Child in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt, shares the Campin-esque positioning of the Virgin's hands, whilst the Virgin's face here recalls that of Van der Goes' Portinari Altarpiece.

This picture has for some time been attributed to the Master of Saint Giles. That artist is known to have worked in Paris, which city (and, in particular, the interior of the Abbey of Saint Denis) and its environs are depicted in the background to the two panels depicting episodes from The Life of Saint Giles, for which he is named. Little is otherwise known of his career, but it is generally accepted that his meticulous style, as well as his technical approach, indicates a period of training in the Netherlands, possibly in the studio of Gerard David. If so, then the fact that the aforementioned National Gallery Virgin and Child has in the past been regarded as an early David (who was influenced by Van der Goes and adapted his compositions) makes the connection between that and the present picture of particular interest.

The inscription is taken from the Song of Solomon, IV, translating as 'You are all beauty, my friend, and there is no stain in you, how beautiful you are, my friend, and your eyes are like those of doves.'