Artwork
Madonna mit Kind
Madonna mit Kind is an unspecified painting by the Sienese School artist Bernardino Fungai. It dates from 1498 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum. Created circa 1498, this panel portrays the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Christ.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1498, this panel portrays the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Christ. The composition is modest in scale and set against a warm golden backdrop that enhances the intimate atmosphere. The work belongs to the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a traditional devotional image: Mary, rendered with a serene expression, holds the newborn Jesus, who is swaddled in a white cloth edged in red. The gentle interaction between mother and child conveys themes of tenderness, divine motherhood, and the human aspect of the Incarnation, inviting quiet contemplation.
Technique & Style
Executed by Bernardino Fungai, a painter of the Sienese school, the work blends late‑Gothic ornamental detail with emerging Renaissance sensibilities. The figures are outlined with delicate linear strokes, while the rich blues and reds are applied in layered tempera, creating a luminous surface. The overall style retains an archaic elegance despite subtle spatial modeling.
History & Provenance
Bernardino Fungai, active in Siena at the turn of the 16th century, produced the piece during a period of stylistic transition. After remaining in private or ecclesiastical hands for several centuries, the painting entered the State Hermitage Museum’s holdings, where it is displayed as part of the museum’s Italian Renaissance collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Bernardino Fungai (1460 – c. 1516) was an Italian painter whose work marks the transition from late Gothic painting to the early Renaissance in the Sienese school. He maintained a fairly archaic style in his works,…
