French School: 15th century.
"The Virgin and Child in the Manger".
Watercolour on parchment.
It has humidities that have caused wear and pictorial losses.
Measurements: 15 x 11,5 cm.
This work is arranged on a page that belongs to a Horarium, also known as the Book of Hours, a type of illuminated manuscript that became popular in the Middle Ages, with religious content. On the page there is a section containing the devotional text, located below the painting showing the Christ Child and his mother in the manger after his birth. The figure behind the Virgin, who is also nimbus-covered, appears to be a representation of Saint Anne, the Virgin's mother, as can be deduced from her feminine clothing and the wrinkles that furrow her cheeks. In this representation of the Holy Family, the presence of the ox indicates that the first moments of the life of Jesus are represented, located in a manger that opens to the exterior and reveals a landscape of greenish and bluish tones. It is worth noting the ornamentation that frames both the image and the text, which stands out for its ornamentation.
These works are known as illuminated codices, which were handwritten and illustrated books that were produced in the scriptorium or specialised workshops of the monasteries by monks with great artistic and doctrinal qualifications for the monasteries themselves, the churches and the kings.