The Virgin Mary nursing the Infant Jesus is the oldest iconographic type depicting the Virgin and Child. The earliest version dates from the third century, and appears in an alfresco work from the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome. The subject is depicted in mosaics and in a number of sculptures from the middle ages, and is one of the favourite themes of Flemish and Renaissance painting. However, it disappeared from art following the Council of Trent (in 1546), as its doctrine forbade any sort of nude depiction of holy figures. Furthermore, the globe on which the Christ Child rests one of his feet was the Royal Orb, a symbol of power over the world, with the Virgin’s lap embodying the throne.

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