Artwork
Madonna and Child with Angels
Madonna and Child with Angels is an unspecified painting by Cosimo Rosselli. It dates from 1492 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The presence of angels reinforces the heavenly context of the scene, serving as attendants to the central mother and son.
Created in 1492 by Cosimo Rosselli, this religious painting centers on the Madonna and Child as its primary subject. The composition features the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, accompanied by angels. As a work of religious art, the iconography adheres to traditional Christian representations of the Holy Family, emphasizing the divine nature of the figures through their sacred grouping.
The presence of angels reinforces the heavenly context of the scene, serving as attendants to the central mother and son. The work functions as a devotional image, visually articulating core theological concepts regarding the incarnation and the sanctity of Mary within the Catholic tradition.
History & Provenance
Cosimo Rosselli's Madonna and Child with Angels dates to 1492, according to the work's cataloguing. The painting is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it entered through the bequest of the collector Michael Friedsam, which formally entered the museum in 1931. No additional information regarding an original commission, intermediary owners, or earlier provenance is recorded in the available documentation.
Context
Cosimo Rosselli's Madonna and Child with Angels, executed in 1492, represents a significant example of late Quattrocento religious painting within the Florentine tradition. The work is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, having entered the museum's holdings through the bequest of Michael Friedsam. As a religious depiction focusing on the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child surrounded by angels, the painting reflects the devotional aesthetics prevalent in Rosselli's wider artistic output during the 1490s.
Its dimensions of 85.1 by 58.4 centimeters align with the scale typical for private or small-scale altarpieces of the period. The piece illustrates Rosselli's continued engagement with standard iconographic themes of the era while maintaining the stylistic characteristics associated with his workshop.
Overview
Cosimo Rosselli, an Italian painter from the Quattrocento, completed Madonna and Child with Angels in 1492. This religious panel painting depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, flanked by angelic figures. The artwork is presently held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing a late 15th-century Florentine artistic tradition.
Technique & Style
Rosselli's work demonstrates a balanced composition and a harmonious palette, drawing the viewer's eye to the central figures. The artist's meticulous approach is evident in the detailed rendering of the Madonna's drapery, with its intricate folds, and the delicate features of the angels. The integration of a naturalistic landscape background, complete with trees and a distant structure, reflects contemporary artistic trends towards greater realism.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Cosimo Rosselli (Italian:; 1439–1507) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in his birthplace of Florence, but also in Pisa earlier in his career and in 1481–82 in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where…
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