Virgin in Sorrow

Simon Marmion, nicknamed 'the prince of illumination' by his contemporaries, was a Franco-Flemish painter and manuscript illuminator active in Valenciennes and Tournai. This Virgin in Sorrow dates to around 1480 and demonstrates the exquisite refinement that made Marmion one of the most admired artists in the Burgundian Netherlands. His panel paintings are rare survivors alongside his celebrated manuscript work.

Oil on panel with the miniaturist's precision that reflects Marmion's background in manuscript illumination. The Virgin's sorrowful expression is rendered with extraordinary delicacy and emotional sensitivity.