The painting by Gerard David is probably from the Carmelite nunnery of Salamanca. It is a characteristic example of a devotion panel, intended for private use. The panel shows Mary with bared breast and with the child on her lap, who is offering her a fruit. She is seated on a wall overgrown with plants and flowers that suggests 'hortus conclusus'. The theme of a walled garden is derived from the Bible (Song of Solomon 4:12): 'A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.' This enclosed garden is used as a symbol of Mary's virginity.

Specifications
Title | Virgin and Child in a Landscape |
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Material and technique | Oil on panel |
Object type |
Painting
> Painting
> Two-dimensional object
> Art object
|
Location | This object is in storage |
Dimensions |
Width 24,7 cm Height 42,6 cm |
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Artists |
Painter:
Gerard David
|
Accession number | 2446 (OK) |
Credits | Acquired with the collection of D.G. Van Beuningen, 1958 |
Department | Old Masters |
Acquisition date | 1958 |
Creation date | in circa 1520 |
Collector | Collector / D.G. van Beuningen |
Internal exhibitions |
BABEL - Oude meesters terug uit Japan / Old Masters Back from Japan (2018) |
External exhibitions |
Collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen – Bruegel’s ‘The Tower of Babel’ and Great 16th Century Masters (2017) Linnaeus and Glimpses of Paradise (2022) |
Material | |
Object | |
Geographical origin | Southern Netherlands > The Netherlands > Western Europe > Europe |