Title

Virgin with Parrot

Author

Isenbrant, Adriaen [attributed to]

?, ca 1485 - Bruges, 1551

Typology

School

Century

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Observations

This Flemish painting is one of the most significant and undoubtedly the most appreciated among the religious works in the collection of Juana of Austria, founder of the Monastery de las Descalzas Reales in Madrid. It was a gift from the Bishop of Cuenca and, according to a note in the 1573 inventory of the princess, the one that she ordered to be placed on the altar of her tomb.

The Virgin with Parrot is a particularly striking and harmonious triptych. At the center is the Madonna, her head covered with a transparent veil. To the left, an angel holds a dish containing what appear to be strawberries. The Virgin is draped in a large, vivid red mantle, exquisitely painted with folds that stand out against her figure. On her lap rests a white cloth on which the Divine Infant sits. He gazes attentively at the parrot with its colorful plumage that the Virgin holds in her left hand, while the Infant seems to reach out with his right hand to touch it. On the side panels of the triptych are Latin inscriptions referencing the Virgin.

The work is attributed to the renowned painter Adriaen Isenbrant, born near Bruges around 1485. He studied with Gérard David and spent nearly his entire life in that city. He received some influence from Antwerp painters, and he was highly regarded for his portraiture, his conscientiousness, and his delicate colorism. The depiction of the Infant Jesus is believed to have been inspired by the figure in The Virgin and Child with Canon Van der Paele by Jan Van Eyck.

Currently on display in the Flemish Paintings Room of the monastery (November 2024).

Related links

Bibliography

• (2019): La otra Corte : mujeres de la Casa de Austria en los Monasterios Reales de las Descalzas y la Encarnación, Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, p. 71, il. 35.
• A. García Sanz and M.L. Sánchez Hernández (2009): Guide: Royal convents of Madrid: las Descalzas reales and la Encarnación, Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid, p. 41.
• J.J. Garcés (1969): El museo madrileño de las Descalzas Reales, Prensa Ibérica, Madrid, pp. 48-9; 86-7.

Locations

• 1573: Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Madrid (Spain) (Inventory number: 00612354)