In this devotional painting, the Virgin is represented praying with her hands placed firmly together.

The expressive modelling of the figure, whose features and drapery can be related to contemporary wood sculpture, accentuates the ascetic nature of the image.

The detailed depiction of the Virgin’s tears was intended to prompt an emotional response in the beholder, following the teachings of the Devotio Moderna, a social and religious movement which promoted popular piety in the Netherlands. This type of tearful face became a common motif in Flemish painting from the mid-fifteenth century, when tears were sometimes interpreted as an attribute of sanctity..

Provenance: bequeathed by the Founders, 1885

Object description
Type: Easel painting
Location: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham
Material: Oil on panel
Artist: Attributed to the Circle of Albert Bouts (c. 1452-1549)
Date: 1450-1500

Image Details
Date: 7 Feb 2025
Camera body: iPhone Xs
Lens: Wide Camera 26mm ƒ/1.8
Focal Length: 26mm
Aperture: ƒ/1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/25s
ISO: 640
Licensing: Image of a Bowes Museum asset. This image cannot be licensed.