Virgin and Child Crowned by Angels

By Colyn de Coter, c. 1490
JPG • 1298 × 2250 PX • 1.3 MB
Curatorial Notes

The gold text on the bottom edge of the Virgin Mary’s red mantle translates as “Hail, Queen of the heavens, Mother of the king of angels.” These lines, from a hymn called a Marian antiphon, were famously set to music as a choral composition in the 15th century. This kind of polyphonic music, requiring multiple trained voices employed at great expense, was associated with the extravagant culture of the Brussels court. Its evocation here, like the bejeweled crown lowered onto Mary’s head, serves to honor the Virgin and to inspire aural worship.

Artwork Identification

Title Virgin and Child Crowned by Angels
Title (PT) Virgem e Menino Coroados por Anjos
Title (ES) Virgen y Niño coronados por ángeles
Artist Colyn de Coter
Artist Bio Colijn de Coter (Netherlandish, c. 1450– by 1540)
Date c. 1490
Work Type Painting

Location & Collection

License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
Ars Sancta