Following Van Dyck's models, 18th century

Spanish school of the XVIII century. Following models of VAN DYCK (Antwerp, 1599 - London, 1641).
"Virgin of the milk with St. John and St. Anne".
Oil on canvas. Relined.
The frame is damaged.
Presents restorations and Repainting.
Measurements: 86 x 64 cm; 106 x 84 cm (frame).

The artist presents us a scene of great warmth in which it is represented, next to Santa Ana, the subject of the Virgin of the Milk or of the Good Milk, also known as nourishing Virgin or wet nurse, Virgin of the Rest or of the Good Rest, Virgin of Bethlehem or of the grotto of Bethlehem; it is an invocation and an iconography of the Virgin Mary, in which she is represented in the act of suckling the Child Jesus. This representation has had various developments in sacred art, such as painting, sculpture and the particular iconography of the Orthodox Church. The representation of the Virgin suckling the baby Jesus is mentioned by Pope Gregory the Great, a mosaic with this representation probably dating back to the 12th century is found on the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, although a few other examples from the early Middle Ages still survive. It is considered that this invocation may be a syncretism of the mother-goddesses, in particular of the goddess Isis suckling Horus, and probably the earliest images appeared in Coptic art. The Milk Grotto is a place in Bethlehem, very close to the Basilica of the Nativity, where tradition says that the Virgin suckled the Child, and a drop spilled on a rock, which changed its color, becoming white. Because of this, stones from the grotto (made of calcium carbonate) were considered relics in the early centuries because, when diluted in water, the water took on the appearance of milk. The sanctuary erected in this place is used by women who ask the Virgin to improve the quality of their mother's milk. A theme in Christian hagiography linked to the nursing Virgin is that of Lactatio Bernardi, according to which the Virgin appeared in a dream to a monk and, by giving him some of her milk, granted him a miraculous gift.