Virgin and Child

A native of Constance, Memberger was court painter to the Salzburg Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau.

The coats of arms of the Province and the Raitenau family at the bottom edge show that the painting was commissioned by Wolf Dietrich. Following mediæval tradition, the Virgin is shown enthroned with her Child, as victorious Queen of Heaven. In typical late-mediæval manner, the Child, with a tiny bird in his hand, reaches out for the proffered apple – symbol of redemption from sin, since he is receiving the apple from the hand of the new Eve. The eye contact between mother and child expresses a loving relationship.

The painting combines Renaissance elements, such as central perspective, with the baroque movement of the angels with their fluttering garments. The painting illustrates the beginning of a new style, the Baroque, which found its way into Salzburg through Memberger's ecclesiastical patron.