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Madonna and Child in Glory
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It is difficult to overstate the singularity of this work in 17th-century England. While the image has visual sources in works by Rubens and Federico Barocci, surely known to the cosmopolitan artist (who travelled to Italy, unusually for English artists at this moment), the object is iconographically unique. Oliver places a tender Virgin and Child (itself more closely linked to Catholic instead of Protestant imagery), in a heavenly, visionary setting, and incorporates the medieval iconography of the lactating Virgin with the Salvator Mundi, early Netherlandish in origin, but more commonly an Italian typology by the early seventeenth century.
| Artist / Maker | Isaac Oliver |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1605–1617 |
| Culture / Origin | England, 17th century |
| Medium | gouache and watercolor, heightened with gum arabic, with shell gold framing lines, on vellum, mounted on paper, vellum, and wood |
| Dimensions | Framed: 27.5 x 20.5 cm (10 13/16 x 8 1/16 in.) |
| Department | European Painting and Sculpture |
| Type | Portrait Miniature |
About the Artist
BiographyIsaac Oliver (1556–1617) — English painter (c. 1565–1617).Isaac Oliver worked as painter, draftsperson, watercolorist, miniature painter and designer and is associated with France. Their documented life spans the years 1556 to 1617, born in Rouen, died in London.Disciplinespainter, draftsperson, watercolorist, miniature painter, designerBorn1556, RouenDied1617, LondonNationalityFranceSources: Wikidata · Wikipedia Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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