Description
The Virgin and Child before a Firescreen is from an oil painting on oak by Robert Campin in 1425-1430.
This painting was intended as a private devotional image. A motif of the Virgin Mary is incorporated in a scene from everyday life. Campin was a “joker” as he substituted a nimbus with the round fire-screen behind the head of the Virgin. This is the only painting of Campin where the figure (child) is gazing directly at the spectator.
National Gallery London.
