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Virgin and Child
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In his left hand the Christ Child holds a swallow. Swallows were thought to hibernate during winter in nests of mud. Their re-emergence in spring symbolized the Resurrection of Christ. This painting was probably the central panel of an altarpiece. After the altarpiece was broken up, the work was cut into its present octagonal shape.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineVirgin and Child, late 1430s. Rossello di Jacopo Franchi (Italian, c.1376–1457). Tempera on wood; framed: 79.5 x 64 x 5.5 cm (31 5/16 x 25 3/16 x 2 3/16 in.); unframed: 69.2 x 55.2 cm (27 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Holden Collection, 1916.814
