Virgin and Child

The image of the Virgin and Child surrounded by the brilliance of the sun's rays was linked to a specific devotion popular in the late 15th and early 16th centuries in the Low Countries. It was associated with the Ave Sanctissima prayer and the doctrine supported by Pope Sixtus IV of the Immaculate Conception, which claimed that the Virgin was conceived without original sin. The Christ Child holds an apple in reference to the sin committed by Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. In his role as the "new Adam" and redeemer of humankind, Christ raises his hand in bless... Mehr ...