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Virgin and Child Crowned by Angels

A work made of oil on panel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of oil on panel.

Date:

c. 1490

Artist:

Colijn de Coter (Netherlandish, c. 1450– by 1540)

About this artwork

A prolific painter in Brussels, Colijn de Coter continued the pioneering symbolism of 15th-century Northern artists on a large scale. In this panel, the central image in a three-part altarpiece called a triptych, the painter imbued household objects with Christian meanings. The green curtain hanging from the bed, for example, doubles as the cloth of honor that traditionally frames Mary as she is crowned Queen of Heaven. The glassware and wash basin on the sideboard allude to her purity, as does the bouquet of lilies at the bottom right, while the lion finial marks her seat as the throne of wisdom. The fusion of contemporary bourgeois interior with religious iconography underscores Jesus’s humanity as well as the continued relevance of the biblical narrative.

Status

On View, Gallery 202

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Colyn de Coter

Title

Virgin and Child Crowned by Angels

Place

Belgium (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1485–1495

Medium

Oil on panel

Inscriptions

Inscribed: ORAPR[O]NObIS*A / AVE*REGINA*... / CELOROM [sic]*MATER*REGIS*ANGVLO / RVM (on hem of the Virgin’s mantle)

Dimensions

151.9 × 88.6 cm (59 13/16 × 34 7/8 in.); Framed: 179.8 × 117.2 × 16.6 cm (70 3/4 × 46 1/8 × 6 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Reference Number

1933.1039

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16257/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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