The Virgen with the Child, Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard

Our Lady with the Child, St. Benedict and St. Bernard is an oil painting on oak wood painted about 1515 presumably by Francisco Henriques, painter of Flemish origin active in Portugal in the Manueline period, for the mother church of Ribeira Brava (Madeira) where it is still today. The painting Our Lady with the Child, St. Benedict and St. Bernard represents the Virgin Mary enthroned with the Child Jesus on his lap having at his side in the style of Sacra conversazione the saints Benedict and Bernardo founders of two important Catholic monastic orders, respectively the Order of the Benedictines and the Order of Cistercians.For this painting the Madeiran comitents will have resorted to the workshop of Francisco Henriques, one of the most important painting workshops in Lisbon, which executed between 1508 and 1512 a large project of paintings for the palatial and conventual Church of St. Francis in Évora, namely the Polyptyl of the High Altar and a set of large panels for the side chapels, among which a work of similar composition, Our Lady of Grace with the Child, Santa Julita and St. Querito.