Title

The Virgin of the Milk

painter

Maestro de Osma [attributed to] (Active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries)

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

This panel is attributed to the Master of Osma, a painter active in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. We do not know where it was originally located, but the artist carried out commissions for Burgo de Osma (Soria), Corrales de Duero, Curiel de Duero, Langayo (Valladolid), and Palencia. Its size suggests that it was likely created for private devotion (Silva Maroto, 2007). TheVirgin of the Milk with the Child was in the Episcopal Palace of Palencia when it was sold. At this time, we do not know where it came from prior to its transfer to that episcopal seat.

First, the work was in the hands of José Gudiol, an art historian and dealer; in the mid-20th century, it was acquired by José Arnaldo Weissberger, an antique dealer whose shop was in Madrid (Pérez-Flecha, 2025). In 1953, Newhouse Galleries purchased several pieces from Weissberger, including two fragments from an altarpiece of San Pedro de Astudillo () and this panel. Involved in the acquisition was an Austrian-born figure based in the United States who conducted his business activities through Newhouse Galleries, Frederick Mont (Merino de Cáceres y Martínez Ruiz, 2023).

Arthur William Sidney Herrington and Nell C. Herrington, magnates linked to the automotive industry, acquired the painting in the 1960s. After their deaths, their son, Arthur Clarke Herrington, inherited the art collection. He bequeathed the panel to Johns Hopkins University in 2018, and it is currently housed in Baltimore (United States).

Description

According to Silva Maroto (2007), this painting is based on Rogier van der Weyden’s Chicago Madonna. The Child is seated on a parapet on a cushion while the Virgin nurses him. Mary’s hair is tied back with a ribbon and covered with a blue cloak. The Master of Osma produced numerous panels depicting this subject, which highlights the popularity these works must have enjoyed among his patrons.

Locations

• Early XX^th c.

  museum

  Bishop's Palace, Palencia, Palencia (Spain)

• Second quarter of the XX^th c. - Mid XX^th c.

  private collection

  José Gudiol Ricart, Barcelona (Spain) *

• Mid XX^th c.

  dealer/antiquarian

  José Arnaldo Weissberger, Madrid (Spain) *

• ca. 1953

  private collection

  Bertram Newhouse. Newhouse Galleries, New York (United States) *

• Third quarter of the XX^th c. - ca. 1970

  private collection

  Arthur William Sidney Herrington, Indianápolis (United States) *

• ca. 1970 - ca. 2018

  private collection

  Arthur Clarke Herrington, Baltimore (United States) *

• 2018 - present

  study center

  Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (United States)