Quinten Massys, 'The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Four Angels', about 1506-9
About the work
Overview
This paintings shows the Virgin as Queen of Heaven: she sits on a gilded throne and two angels hover above her, about to place an extraordinarily delicate crown on her head. The throne is decorated with red and green enamel or glass, and rests on the dais of a small Gothic church. The infant Christ, a string of coral beads around his neck, plays with the book held by his mother, pulling on the red book mark. The pair are serenaded by angels who stand to either side of the throne playing a lute and a harp.
The luxurious carpet beneath the Virgin’s feet – an item of very great value in northern Europe in the sixteenth century – is probably based on a real rug. Look closely and you can see how the artist has suggested its texture: the pattern is rendered in darker colours, with small dots modelled in lighter hues to indicate the texture of the knots.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Four Angels
- Artist
- Quinten Massys
- Artist dates
- 1465/6 - 1530
- Date made
- about 1506-9
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 62.3 × 43.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by C. W. Dyson Perrins, 1958
- Inventory number
- NG6282
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 21st-century Replica Frame
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Lorne Campbell, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings: With French Paintings before 1600’, London 2014; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Exhibition history
-
2010Jan Gossaert's RenaissanceThe National Gallery (London)23 February 2011 - 30 May 2011
-
2023Masterpieces from the National GalleryShanghai Art Museum East17 January 2023 - 7 May 2023National Museum of Korea2 June 2023 - 9 October 2023Hong Kong Palace Museum22 November 2023 - 11 April 2024Chimei Museum2 May 2024 - 1 September 2024
Bibliography
-
1960The National Gallery, The National Gallery: July 1958 - December 1959, London 1960
-
1987Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Early Netherlandish School, 3rd edn, London 1987
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2014
L. Campbell, National Gallery Catalogues: The Sixteenth Century Netherlandish Paintings: With French Paintings before 1600, 2 vols, London 2014
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.