This extraordinary late 16th-century panel by an artist working in the circle of Spanish painter Miguel Barroso (1538-1590) depicts the Virgin Mary seated upon a raised throne. She gently supports the Christ Child as he raises his hand in blessing. Painted around 1580, during the reign of Philip II, it transports us directly into the spiritual world of late Renaissance Spain.
Beside the Virgin, kneels a donor - probably the individual who commissioned the work. He's dressed in black and absorbed in prayer. Above, a host of cherubs unfurls a scroll bearing the words Ave Regina Caelorum ('Hail, Queen of Heaven'), while elegant arches open onto a distant landscape beyond.
Around four hundred and forty years ago, someone stood before this very image seeking guidance - and perhaps forgiveness or hope. The kneeling donor serves as a bridge between their world and ours. We're looking at the same painted face of the Virgin, the same blessing hand of the Christ Child, and the same devotional scene that generations before us once contemplated in prayer.
The painting itself reflects a fascinating moment in European art. Its composition is derived from an engraving by Flemish printmaker Jan Sadeler I (1550-1600) after a design by Maarten de Vos (1532-1603). Here, however, the image has been reinterpreted by a Spanish painter, transforming a Northern European design into something distinctly Spanish in character.
The V&A Museum holds a copy of the engraving.
The influence of Miguel Barroso (1538-1590) is particularly apparent. As one of the leading painters of Toledo during the late Renaissance, Barroso helped shape a style that blended the grandeur of Italian art with the spiritual intensity favoured in Spain. The elongated hands, serene expressions, restrained palette, and carefully ordered architecture all reflect this tradition.
The rendering of the Virgin herself is particularly masterful. Her lowered gaze and sense of profound dignity convey an ethereal stillness. Equally impressive is the architectural setting, which creates depth without overwhelming the devotional focus of the scene. Throughout, the artist balances both elegance and restraint - a hallmark of Spanish religious painting at its finest.
Today, works of this period are increasingly difficult to encounter outside museums and historic collections. Many have been lost, altered, or separated from their original contexts over the centuries. As such, this panel offers something genuinely special: an opportunity to stand face-to-face with an authentic survivor from the late Renaissance and to experience the visual language through which faith, art, and daily life once became intertwined.
Held in a beautiful contemporary hand-made gilt frame with scrolling foliate ornament throughout. The painting has previously been appraised at €20,000-€25,000 by a leading auction house in Barcelona.
Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 35” x 46” / 89.5cm x 116.5cm
Year of creation: c. 1580
Provenance: Private collection, Spain.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Fine craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Historic repairs to the panel, as one would expect. Frame in excellent condition.
Our reference: BRV2200
