Page of St Luke Drawing a Portrait of the Madonna (detail) by WEYDEN, Rogier van der in the Web Gallery of Art, a searchable image collection and database of European paintings and sculptures (1100-1850)

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St Luke Drawing a Portrait of the Madonna (detail)

1435
Oil and tempera on panel
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The evangelist (whose features resembles Rogier's) is shown making a silverpoint drawing of the Virgin Mary. His attentive gaze is concentrated on his model, indicating both his artistic purpose and also his veneration for the Mother of God. This detail shows some severe damage to the surface of the painting, of the kind suffered by many Early Netherlandish paintings over the centuries.