Virgin and Child

About the Artwork

In his left hand the Christ Child holds a swallow. Swallows were thought to hibernate during winter in nests of mud. Their re-emergence in spring symbolized the Resurrection of Christ. This painting was probably the central panel of an altarpiece. After the altarpiece was broken up, the work was cut into its present octagonal shape.

Provenance

James Jackson Jarves (1884). Mrs. Liberty E. Holden, Cleveland.

Exhibition history

Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916). The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936). Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971). Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).

Quick Overview

Artist: Rossello di Jacopo Franchi (Italian, c.1376–1457)
Date: late 1430s
Medium: tempera on wood
Dimensions: Framed: 79.5 x 64 x 5.5 cm (31 5/16 x 25 3/16 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 69.2 x 55.2 cm (27 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.)
Type: Painting
Classification: Painting
Department: Medieval Art
Credit line: Holden Collection
Accession no.: 1916.814

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.