Belgian school (XVII) - Madonna met kind

Small 18th-century religious painting of the Belgian school, executed on copper, with a depiction of Maria Lactans – the nursing Madonna with the Christ Child. The copper plate measures 11 x 9 cm; with frame the whole is about 22 x 20 cm.

Mary is shown in half-length, with the Christ Child lying on her lap. She tilts her head toward him and offers him the breast, while the child looks at her. The figures fill almost the entire picture plane, creating a closed and intimate composition. The bright vermilion red of Mary's outer garment and the deep blue of her mantle form strong color accents against the subdued green-brown background. The pale flesh tones of mother and child are finely modeled with pink accents in the cheeks and hands. The folds, white highlights, and contours of the clothing are worked out with particular care.

The depiction belongs to the traditional iconographic type of Maria Lactans, in which Mary is shown nursing Christ at the breast. The small size and the precious, smooth copper support align with the tradition of finely worked religious cabinet and devotional paintings. The work is housed in a richly gilded frame with a red velvet interior.