Antwerp School, around 1580

Antwerp School, around 1580

Madonna nursing the Child (Madonna del Latte)

Oil on the board, cm 47 x 34

With frame, cm 69 x 57

The iconography of the painting is the Virgo Lactans, meaning the Madonna nursing Baby Jesus. This is a common Christian iconography, very popular since ancient times, also in the Orthodox context. 

In this painting, the Virgin observes lovingly her Son, sweetly sitting on a white cloth. 

The pomegranate placed at the bottom left corner of the composition, which is already mentioned in the Old Testament as one of the fruits of the Promised Land, has also a clear Christological meaning. It is a symbol of the future Passion of Christ. 

The delicate highlighting of the halos of the mother and the Son stand out with vivid prominence against the dark backdrop, as do the bright red of her cloak which, following the dictates of Flemish formalism, crumples in sculptural wrinkles, in stark contrast with the softness and paleness of the skin of Baby Jesus.