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The Virgin and Child Seated at the Foot of a Tree

1522
Not on view
As he so often did in his paintings, Gossart combined Renaissance and Gothic motifs in his prints. Here, the figure types derive from Italian Renaissance sculpture. Most notably, the child's unusual gesture, with his arm turned backward, derives from The Madonna of the Steps, a relief by Michelangelo (1490–92, Casa Buonarroti, Florence). The nervous folds of the drapery are typical of Northern Gothic art. The theme itself derives from a number of prints created by Gossart's German contemporary Albrecht Dürer, who visited the Netherlands in 1520–21 and consequently inspired a number of Netherlandish artists to make prints after his work.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Virgin and Child Seated at the Foot of a Tree
  • Artist: Jan Gossart (called Mabuse) (Netherlandish, Maubeuge ca. 1478–1532 Antwerp (?))
  • Date: 1522
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Dimensions: Plate: 4 3/4 × 3 3/8 in. (12 × 8.5 cm)
    Sheet: 4 7/8 x 3 7/16 in. (12.4 x 8.7 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1991
  • Object Number: 1991.1167
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Virgin and Child Seated at the Foot of a Tree
Jan Gossart (called Mabuse)
1522
Christian II, King of Denmark, Jan Gossart (called Mabuse) Netherlandish, Engraving; first state of two
Christian II, King of Denmark
Jan Gossart (called Mabuse)
Jacob Binck
1529
The Marriage of Henry the VIIth and Elizabeth of York, Jan Gossart (called Mabuse) Netherlandish, Etching and engraving on chine collé
The Marriage of Henry the VIIth and Elizabeth of York
Multiple artists/makers
February 15, 1826
Christ Carrying the Cross, Jan Gossart (called Mabuse) Netherlandish, Oil on oak
Christ Carrying the Cross
Jan Gossart (called Mabuse)
ca. 1520–25
Portrait of a Man, Jan Gossart (called Mabuse) Netherlandish, Oil on wood
Portrait of a Man
Jan Gossart (called Mabuse)
ca. 1520–25

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