Minneapolis Institute of Art

Miniature from a Book of Hours with Virgin and Christ Child

Manuscript illuminator: Attributed to Jean Poyer and his workshop

Date

c. 1490–1500

Medium

Tempera and gold on parchment

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

One of the earliest drawings to enter the museum’s collection, this miniature was long ago cut from a prayer book illuminated by the Loire Valley artist Jean Poyer and his workshop. The celestial musicians—playing lute, cornamuse, and rebec—indicate that the image likely accompanied a popular prayer to the Virgin, the Obsecro te (I beseech thee). The beholder of this image was meant to visualize Mary’s love for her infant son, symbolized by the carnation she holds, and also the grief she would endure at his Passion, implied in her sorrowful expression. The artist added intimacy by making Mary disproportionately large and depicting her seated on a cushion, the pose of the Madonna of Humility. He created the effect of a panel painting by giving this tiny work a thin, illusionistic gold frame. France, Europe

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.