ticketsMember | Make a donation

Virgin and Child with Angels

Bernard van Orley Netherlandish
ca. 1518
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 636
Van Orley probably painted this refined and intimate picture of the Virgin and Child about the time of his appointment in 1518 as official painter to Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands. A courtly Madonna of Humility, the Virgin wears a luxurious fur-trimmed dress and is seated on the ground in the enclosed but spacious garden of her palace. She is accompanied by two singing angels, who are echoed by grisaille angels in heaven. The distant background testifies to the painter’s awareness of the development of landscape painting, and the elaborately ornamented fountain incorporates Italian Renaissance decorative motifs.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Virgin and Child with Angels
  • Artist: Bernard van Orley (Netherlandish, Brussels ca. 1492–1541/42 Brussels)
  • Date: ca. 1518
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 33 5/8 x 27 1/2 in. (85.4 x 69.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
  • Object Number: 14.40.632
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Final Assault on the Boar, or December from a set of the Hunts of Maximilian, Bernard van Orley , probably Netherlandish, Wool, silk (19-21 warps per inch, 8-9 per cm.), French, Paris
The Final Assault on the Boar, or December from a set of the Hunts of Maximilian
Multiple artists/makers
designed ca. 1531, woven 1692–93
Adoration of the Kings, Bernard van Orley or a member of his workshop Netherlandish, Wool, silk, silver, silver-gilt thread (20 warps per inch, 8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
Adoration of the Kings
Multiple artists/makers
1525–1535
August from a set of Medallion Months, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk (20 warps per inch, 8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
August from a set of Medallion Months
Bernard van Orley
ca. 1525–28
The Twelve Ages of a Man: The First Three Ages (Birth-18), or Spring, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk (16-20 warps per inch, 6-8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
The Twelve Ages of a Man: The First Three Ages (Birth-18), or Spring
Bernard van Orley
ca. 1515
The Crucifixion, Bernard van Orley Netherlandish, Wool, silk, silver thread, silver-gilt thread (20-21 warps per inch, 7-8 per cm.), Netherlandish, Brussels
The Crucifixion
Multiple artists/makers
design ca. 1515, woven ca. 1525

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.