Madonna and Child

The work is executed in tempera on a wooden panel, measuring approximately 34.3 × 27.6 cm. Its support is a panel, and the painting has suffered a poor state of conservation, with partial repainting of the Madonna’s face. Stylistically, Bramantino employs his characteristic simplification of volumes and geometric clarity, arranging the scene in a courtyard framed by a crenellated wall with towers; the nude Child reaches for an apple held by the Virgin, a symbol of redemption, while a vase of red carnations alludes to the Passion and a mystical marriage.

The Madonna and Child by Bramantino is dated to circa 1508, likely created just before the artist’s documented journey to Rome that year. The painting’s early provenance is undocumented until the early 20th century, when it was held in the collection of Count Victor Goloubew in Paris and misattributed to Francesco Francia. In 1912, Goloubew sold the work to the dealer Kleinberger, who subsequently transferred it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it remains.

The panel is executed in tempera, with later repaints observed on the Madonna’s face, indicating conservation challenges over time.

The painting known as the Kleinberger Madonna is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While the specific accession number is not provided in the available records, the work is cataloged within the museum's collection under the title 'Madonna and Child' by Bramantino. The object's documented history prior to the 20th century is unknown.

It first appeared in the early 1900s within the Paris collection of Count Victor Goloubew, where it was misattributed to Francesco Francia. In 1912, Goloubew sold the piece to the art dealer Kleinberger, who subsequently transferred it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art later that same year. The provided sources do not list specific past exhibitions or display histories for the work.

Bramantino's Madonna and Child, also known as the Kleinberger Madonna, is a tempera painting on a wooden panel created before 1508. This Italian Renaissance work depicts a quiet devotional scene and is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The painting exemplifies the artist's distinctive approach to form and composition, offering a glimpse into early 16th-century Lombard art.