Artwork
Virgin and Child with Angels
Virgin and Child with Angels is an unspecified painting by the Sienese School artist Benvenuto di Giovanni. It dates from 1486 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work functions as a devotional image centered on the mother and son, a standard subject in Christian art intended to inspire reverence.
This religious painting by Benvenuto di Giovanni depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, accompanied by angels. The work functions as a devotional image centered on the mother and son, a standard subject in Christian art intended to inspire reverence. The presence of angels surrounding the central figures reinforces the sacred nature of the scene, emphasizing the divine status of the subjects within the context of religious worship.
Technique & Style
The work is a tempera painting executed on wood panel, reflecting early Renaissance techniques characteristic of Benvenuto di Giovanni. Its composition features the Virgin and Child surrounded by angels, arranged with a focus on sacred symbolism and delicate spatial harmony. The formal treatment emphasizes frontal presentation and gold background patterning, typical of devotional imagery in Italian religious art of the period.
History & Provenance
The painting is held by the Detroit Institute of Arts, where it is recorded as accession number 23.37.
It has been exhibited at least once in Detroit, appearing in the 1936 exhibition Italian Paintings from the Early Renaissance to the High Renaissance held at the same institution.
Overview
This painting, created around 1486, is a religious work from the Sienese school, depicting a sacred scene with the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and accompanying angels.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Benvenuto di Giovanni, also known as Benvenuto di Giovanni di Meo del Guasta (13 September 1436 – c.
