Mary Lactans, Bruges school circa 1600

Oil on curved panel at the top. Bruges school from the late 16th or early 17th century.
It is in front of a green plain stretching towards a hazy horizon that our painter invites the viewer into the intimacy of a maternity scene. In this gentle representation, the Virgin delicately leans her head towards her son, who is about to take her breast. The latter, his gaze turned toward invisible distances, seems absent, while his mother is clothed in a certain melancholy. Are they already contemplating the many torments to come? Despite its sacred nature, the tenderness that emanates from this scene anchors it in everyday life and allows each believer to project themselves into it. This iconography echoes the dual nature of Christ, both divine and human, and recalls the nurturing and protective role of the Virgin, extended to all of humanity. Inspiring spontaneous piety, this work retains a sense of medieval sensibility, which was seamlessly succeeded by the Northern Renaissance. It is more precisely in the artistic center of the city of Bruges that we locate the production of our painting. The observer will detect the influences of the 15th-century painters who made it famous, foremost among them Hans Memling, Gérard David, and Petrus Christus of Brabant, who made his career there.
Small-format representations of the Virgin and scenes of motherhood, such as the Virgin and Child or Maria Lactans (also known as the Nursing Virgin), were very popular in the context of the devotio moderna. These paintings were a medium for private devotion, intended to support the faithful in their contemplation and meditation.

The French carved and gilded oak frame from the Louis XIV period adds majesty to our painting.
Dimensions: 41.5 x 32 cm - 56 x 48 cm with frame