Madonna of the Wheat
ca. 1440-50
tempera and gold on wood
60 x 45 cm
Inv. 55.496
The knight beseeching the intercession of the Virgin is identifiable on the basis of his coat of arms as Bernhard Praun of Salzburg. The text written in Latin on the scroll translates as follows: “Oh Holy Virgin Mary, pray for us, pray!” In the representation of the Virgin, a mixture of the well-known motifs can be observed. The ears of wheat embroidered in the mantle refer to her fertility and her immaculate conception. The crown she wears signifies her status as Queen of Heaven. Her divine Child holds in his hand the apple symbolizing redemption from the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. The dragon – that is, Satan himself –, pressed under the knees of the knight and stabbed through with his sword, stands for the rejection of sin. The picture is the work of the master who around 1440 also painted the altarpiece from Hallein that is now conserved in the Museum Carolino Augusteum in Salzburg.
I.K.
