Simone dei Crocefissi, 'Dream of the Virgin', about 1365-80
About the work
Overview
This small panel painting shows the Virgin lying asleep while a companion reads to her at the foot of her bed. Above her, Christ is crucified not on the cross, but on a golden Tree of Life that rises from the Virgin's womb, while below her, a hand reaching down from the bed opens the gates of Limbo to release Adam and Eve.
The subject makes explicit the idea of the redemption of mankind through the intercession of the Virgin.
'The Dream of the Virgin' is thought to have been made as part of an altarpiece for a church in the artist's home town of Bologna, depicting scenes from the life of the Virgin.
The unusual iconography of the painting was once obscured by a layer of gold paint, which gave the work the appearance of a more conventional Crucifixion scene until it was removed in 1994 by conservators at the Courtauld Institute.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Dream of the Virgin
- Artist
- Simone dei Crocefissi
- Artist dates
- active 1355 - 1399
- Date made
- about 1365-80
- Medium and support
- Tempera on wood
- Dimensions
- 56.5 × 42.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- On loan from the Society of Antiquaries of London
- Inventory number
- L1030
- Location
- Not on display
- Image copyright
- On loan from the Society of Antiquaries of London, © The Society of Antiquaries London. Used by permission
- Collection
- Main Collection
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.