Panels from the High Altar of the Charterhouse of Saint-Honoré, Thuison-les-Abbeville: Virgin and Child 1490 - 1500

This panel of the Virgin and Child was painted in France for the High Altar of the Charterhouse of Saint-Honoré. It’s impossible to put a date on it because the artist is unknown. This image creates meaning by using visual codes. The Virgin’s halo and fine robes speak of her divinity. But the setting also speaks of earthly power and the influence of religious institutions in France at the time. The artist clearly had connections to the monastery and perhaps to the royal court. To better understand this artwork, we might look into the history of the Charterhouse and the individuals associated with it. Art is contingent on social and institutional contexts. We could learn so much more about the world in which this painting was made, and how that world influenced its creation.