"Virgin of the Milk"(Virgo Lactans) Oil on copper with gold highlights Flemish School 17th century Original gilded frame Copper cm. 14x18 frame 18x22 Excellent condition This small oil painting on copper, executed in a very fine manner, depicts the Virgin holding the Child in her arms and offering him her breast to suckle. He has his face in profile turned upwards and meets the gaze of the Mother who lowers her eyes in a tender maternal contact. The Madonna of the Milk, in Latin Maria lactans or Virgo Lactans, is a very significant and recurring Christian iconography in ancient painting and of great interest to any art collector. It falls within the so-called "Marian iconography", that is, the one that encompasses all the sacred representations that see the Virgin Mary as the protagonist. From very ancient origins, coming from the oriental culture and also inserted in the Orthodox context, the representation of the Madonna nursing the Child has undergone numerous variations over the centuries, taking on different meanings according to the period and culture of the places of origin. Precisely in the West, the Madonna of the Milk has undergone a significant modification, abandoning the stylized representations to embrace a greater naturalness of the figures and poses. The figure is no longer captured in a frontal and hieratic way, and an affectionate play of glances is established with the Child, just like in the work under examination. The Council of Trent, which began in 1543, with the decree: "De invocatione, veneratione, et reliquiis sanctorum et sacris imaginibus" defined the Church's position regarding devotional iconographies. Among the purposes of this decree was to avoid images of a sensual nature or perceived as such by the morality of the time. The Tridentine Catholic Reformation included among these inappropriate images, which were believed to mislead the faithful, representations of Mary with her breasts exposed because they were accused of distracting the faithful from prayer. The task of evaluating the various representations and deciding whether they should be retouched or removed was entrusted to the bishops. In the diocese of Milan, it was in particular Carlo Borromeo who found such images, very widespread in Brianza, to be inappropriate, making arrangements in many cases to cover them with touch-ups. The churches entitled to the "Madonna del latte" changed their denomination. A certificate of authenticity is issued in accordance with the law. Tracked shipping (DHL TRACKING) and fully insured with anti-shock packaging in a custom-made wooden box. Delivery within 3 working days of receipt of payment (DHL EXPRESS)