16th century Flemish school

Flemish school of the XVI century
"The Virgin of the Milk".
Oil on panel.
Cradled.
Frame of the XIX century.
Presents lack of paint, and slight damage to the frame.
Measurements: 39,5 x 30 cm; 52 x 43 cm (frame).

Devotional image representing the Virgin of half a body with the Child, in her invocation of the Virgin of the Milk (also called Virgin of the grotto of Bethlehem). A young Mary, with soft features, bows her head tenderly and offers her breast to the infant. The naked body of the child and the oval face of the Virgin absorb the clear qualities of the light, which enhances the smoothness of the flesh tones. The draped veil has been worked with transparencies and glazes, so that the color of the tunic and the mantle can be glimpsed under the gauze. The same glazing technique has been used to describe the silky and fluffy white cushion. An olive-colored curtain opens in the background, hinting at a room.

The Virgin of Bethlehem or of the grotto of Bethlehem is an invocation and iconography of the Virgin Mary, in which she is represented in the act of breastfeeding the Baby Jesus. This representation has had several developments in sacred art, such as painting, sculpture and the particular iconography of the Orthodox Church. The representation of the Virgin suckling the baby Jesus is mentioned by Pope Gregory the Great, a mosaic with this representation probably dating back to the 12th century is found on the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, although a few other examples from the early Middle Ages still survive. It is considered that this invocation may be a syncretism of the mother-goddesses, in particular of the goddess Isis suckling Horus, and probably the earliest images appeared in Coptic art. The Milk Grotto is a place in Bethlehem, very close to the Basilica of the Nativity, where tradition says that the Virgin suckled the Child, and a drop spilled on a rock, which changed its color, becoming white. Because of this, stones from the grotto (made of calcium carbonate) were considered relics in the early centuries because, when diluted in water, the water took on the appearance of milk. The sanctuary erected in this place is used by women who ask the Virgin to improve the quality of their mother's milk.