Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child
Sandro Botticelli, c1485
This painting was rescued for the nation in little over a month, with the help of the largest grant the Art Fund had ever provided at the time.
It is among the greatest Renaissance paintings acquired for any museum in the UK since the Second World War.
The picture depicts the Virgin adoring her son, who lies in swaddling clothes on the ground - a prefiguration of the dead Christ wrapped in the burial shroud. Behind Mary an outcrop of rock acts both as a simple shelter and a reference to the tomb. To the left of her, a magnificent display of thornless pink roses alludes to the Virgin's purity as the 'rose without thorns'.
This work was acquired with assistance from the Wolfson Foundation.
More information
Title of artwork, date
Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child, c1485
Date supported
1999
Medium and material
Tempera on canvas
Dimensions
122 x 80.5 cm
Grant
550,000
Total cost
10,250,000
Get a National Art Pass and explore National Galleries Scotland: National
You'll see more art and your membership will help museums across the UK
National Art Pass offers available at National Galleries Scotland: National
Art Funded by you FAQs
Contact us
If you have a question about a work of art featured here, please contact the Programmes team. We’ll be happy to answer your enquiry.