Bidspirit auction | Madonna and child, 16th century

Madonna and child, 16th century - Master of the Parrot, Flemish school of Antwerp, 16th century - Oil on panel. Dimensions: 30 x 20 cm. 50 x 40 cm with frame. 16th century. The painting displays the characteristic features associated with this master: a broad, pale face, a slender nose, slightly lowered eyelids, and soft flesh tones delicately heightened with pink touches on the cheeks and lips. The attention to detail is evident in the jeweled necklace, the gilded edging of the neckline, and the sharply broken folds of the sleeves, rendered with Flemish precision. The combination of ornamental refinement and gentle expression is a constant in his production. The Master of the Parrot is the name given by Max J. Friedländer in 1949 to identify a painter active in Antwerp during the first half of the 16th century, closely related to the Master of the Half-Length Figures and stylistically connected to Joos van Cleve, Jan Gossaert, and Ambrosius Benson. Many of his works were produced for export and reached the Iberian Peninsula; today examples are preserved in the Museo del Prado, the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla, and the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, as well as in private collections. On the reverse of the panel there is a painted coat of arms in white against a dark ground, surmounted by a crown and executed in a simple manner. It may correspond to an early ownership mark or a heraldic emblem linked to one of its former owners. Such markings on the reverse are not uncommon in Flemish panels intended for export and add an additional element of historical interest, reinforcing the work’s originality and early provenance.