Where would you find the statue of the Madonna and Child, by Michelangelo?

In 1504, Michelangelo was working on the David for the city of Florence when he was offered the commission for the “Bruges Madonna with Christ Child” by Giovanni and Alessandro Moscheroni (Mouscron). The Moscheroni brothers were wealthy cloth merchants in Bruges, then one of the leading commercial cities in Europe. The sculpture was sold for 4,000 florins and taken to Bruges. At the time, Michelangelo was preoccupied with the subject of the Virgin and Child and the Holy Family. Therefore, in this statue, there is a slight change in the traditional position of Christ child, previously seen on the Virgin’s lap. Michelangelo placed the child between the Madonna’s knees. The Madonna is seated upright as if enthroned. The two figures face directly forward.

This work is notable on several accounts: 1) it was the only sculpture by Michelangelo to leave Italy during his lifetime. 2) It was carved from a single piece of Carrara marble and is 70 inches (200 cm) high. 3) It was removed twice from Belgium after its initial arrival. The first was in 1794 and returned in 1815. The second removal was in 1944. German soldiers, smuggled it to Germany, enveloped in mattresses in a Red Cross truck. It was discovered a year later in Altaussee, Austria, within a salt mine and again returned to the city of Bruges. This story is part of the movie “The Monuments Men”.

The Madonna and Child can be seen, behind very thick protective glass, in the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, Belgium.