Virgin and Child Crowned by Angels

A prolific painter in Brussels, Colijn de Coter continued the pioneering symbolism of 15th-century Northern artists on a large scale. In this panel, the central image in a three-part altarpiece called a triptych, the painter imbued household objects with Christian meanings. The green curtain hanging from the bed, for example, doubles as the cloth of honor that traditionally frames Mary as she is crowned Queen of Heaven. The glassware and wash basin on the sideboard allude to her purity, as does the bouquet of lilies at the bottom right, while the lion finial marks her seat as the throne of wisdom. The fusion of contemporary bourgeois interior with religious iconography underscores Jesus’s humanity as well as the continued relevance of the biblical narrative.