Like van dyck's "virgin and child" (walters 37. 234), this idyll of mary steadying the infant jesus is centered on the naked child. Representing christ explicitly as a boy (not sexless) underlined his miraculously dual nature, fully human and fully god. While depicting the adult christ naked would cause scandal, a naked baby is natural. A watercolor by the german master albrecht dürer (1471-1528) was the source for the composition, but the style is from around 1600. The drawing was then owned by emperor rudolf ii in prague who commissioned copies from court artists. Painting on copper creates an enamel-like surface that satisfied collector's taste for refinement. Date: circa 1600 (Baroque). Place of creation: Prague, Czech Republic. Dimensions: height: 26.7 cm (10.5 in); width: 19.9 cm (7.8 in). Medium: oil on copper. Collection: Walters Art Museum. German - Virgin and Child in a Landscape - Walters 37383
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