Virgin and Child

Gerard David was one of Bruges’ most significant painters in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His use of bright colors and precise brushstrokes make his paintings valuable works with an astonishing level of detail. The Virgin is depicted here as the New Eve, with the apple in one elegant hand as she holds the child with the other. The composition appears to be derived from a painting produced in the workshop of another, earlier master, Rogier van der Weyden. The vegetation in the middle ground is depicted meticulously, featuring a gallica rose and an iris, both of which were premonitory symbols of the Passion of Christ. The scene has an architectural backdrop, possibly partly invented by the artist.