Artwork
The Virgin and Child with Saints
The Virgin and Child with Saints is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Lorenzo Lotto. It dates from 1505 and is held in the collection of the National Galleries Scotland.
About this work
The work uses rich colors and careful detail to bring a quiet, sacred scene to life.
Lorenzo Lotto painted *The Virgin and Child with Saints* around 1505. This oil painting shows Mary and the Christ Child with saints flanking them. The work uses rich colors and careful detail to bring a quiet, sacred scene to life.
It was once owned by the Orléans Collection in France before moving to Scotland. The artist signed the panel with just his initials and "F.[ecit]," a common short form for "made this."
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Overview
Lorenzo Lotto’s *Virgin and Child with Saints* is an oil painting on panel dating to around 1505. Executed in the early sixteenth‑century Venetian tradition, the work presents the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ, accompanied by four saints arranged in a symmetrical composition.
Subject & Meaning
The central figures of Mary and the Child are flanked by a male saint and Saint Peter on one side, and a female saint together with Francis of Assisi on the opposite side. This grouping follows the ‘sacra conversazione’ format, inviting contemplation of the intercessory roles of the saints within a unified sacred space.
Technique & Style
Lotto employs a rich palette and meticulous modeling to render textures of fabric and flesh, creating a sense of quiet intimacy. The figures are placed against a shallow, neutral background, allowing the delicate chiaroscuro to emphasize their devotional presence.
History & Provenance
The painting bears the signature “L. Lotus F.”, an abbreviated form of the artist’s name and a Latin indication of authorship. Its earliest secure documentation appears in 1727, when it was listed in the Orléans Collection in France. It entered the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh later, where it remains on view.
Context
Created during Lotto’s early period, the work reflects the influence of Venetian masters while also anticipating his later interest in psychological nuance. The inclusion of Saint Peter and Francis of Assisi points to a possible patron’s devotional preferences, typical of private commissions of the time.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian Renaissance painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He…
