Title
Virgin and Child
Maestro de las Once Mil Vírgenes [attributed to] (Active in Segovia between 1475 and 1500)
Generic classification
PaintingObject
PaintingDate
ca. 1480-1499Century
Second half of the 15th c.Cultural context / style
Hispano-FlemishDimensions
14,8 x 10,8 inMaterial
PanelTechnique
TemperaIconography / Theme
Virgen con el NiñoProvenance
Possible origin in the province of Segovia (Segovia, Spain)Current location
Museum Fritz Mayer van den Bergh (Antwerp, Belgium)Inventory Number in Current Collection
MMB.0181Object history
Very little information is available about this panel, except that it was acquired by Fritz Mayer van den Bergh in the late 19th century. According to the Mayer van den Bergh Museum, where it is currently housed, the painting can be attributed to the Master of the Eleven Thousand Virgins, a hypothesis that we find plausible. This artist was active in the province of Segovia (Rodríguez, 1962) during the last quarter of the 15th century and the early 16th century, the period to which the work is dated. He produced several works for the Church of San Martín in Segovia, such asThe Imposition of the Chasuble on Saint Ildefonso (Prado National Museum, Madrid). One of his distinctive features lies in the expression of his figures, specifically in their eyes, a quality evident in this panel (Post, 1933).
These elements are what have allowed the work to be attributed to the Master of the Eleven Thousand Virgins and located in Segovia. However, we do not know when it left the province or how it came to be in the hands of Fritz Mayer van den Bergh. In any case, it is currently part of the collection of the museum founded by his mother, Henriette, in his honor (Müller, 2021).
Description
The painting depicts the Virgin and Child. Mary is dressed in a rich skirt of gold brocade and a blue cloak. She bows her head and holds the Child, who is playing with a rosary made of coral beads from which hang a pearl and a cross. The work bears similarities to the Master of Segovia and Fernando Gallego, although in this case the treatment of the eyes—characteristic of the master—is particularly striking.
Locations
Last quarter of the XVth c.
ca. 1901
private collection
Fritz Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp (Belgium) *
ca. 1901 - present
Bibliography
- MÜLLER, Ulrike (2021): At home in a Museum: The Story of Henriëtte and Fritz Mayer Van Den Bergh, Hannibal Books, Veurne.
- POST, Chandler Rathfon (1933): A History of Spanish Painting, vol. 4 (The Hispano-Flemish Style in North-Western Spain), nº 2, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Massachusetts), pp. 451-458.
- RODRÍGUEZ CRUZ, Rosario (1962): "La pintura segoviana en los siglos XV y XVI", vol. 14, nº 43, Estudios Segovianos.
Record manager
Isabel Escalera FernándezCitation:
Isabel Escalera Fernández, "Virgin and Child" in Nostra et Mundi. Cultural Heritage from Castile and Leon around the world, Fundación Castilla y León, 2025. https://inventario.nostraetmundi.com/en/work/537
