Artwork
Madonna and Child
Madonna and Child is an oil painting by the Early Renaissance artist Francesco Francia. It dates from 1498 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
The Madonna, in a blue cloak over a red dress and crowned with a halo, holds the naked Christ Child, who stands on a red cushion grasping a blue orb and gesturing with his free hand. A landscape of mountains, trees, and buildings recedes behind them. Francesco Francia painted this tender, intimate scene in 1498 in oil.
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus, a conventional subject in Renaissance religious art that emphasizes maternal tenderness and the Incarnation. Francesco Francia’s 1494 oil on panel presents Mary and the Christ Child as the central figures, highlighting their sacred relationship and the theological theme of divine motherhood. The work’s iconography relies on established symbols of holiness, such as the halo and the intimate gesture of protection, which convey both theological doctrine and devotional focus.
As documented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection records, the piece is classified as a religious painting whose main subject is the Madonna and Child.
Technique & Style
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a medium and support combination characteristic of late fifteenth-century Italian devotional painting.
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a medium and support combination characteristic of late fifteenth-century Italian devotional painting. The composition occupies a vertical format measuring approximately 61 by 46 centimeters. Stylistically, the painting belongs to the religious genre, presenting the Madonna and Child as its principal subject.
The use of oil on panel allowed for the refined handling of surface and tonal modulation associated with Francesco Francia's practice. The panel support and oil medium together indicate a technique suited to careful layering and finish, consistent with devotional images of the period.
History & Provenance
Francesco Francia painted the Madonna and Child in 1494, executing the work in oil on panel. The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently held. No intermediate ownership history, commission details, or earlier provenance is documented in the available sources.
Francesco Francia's Madonna and Child, an oil-on-panel painting dated 1494, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child and measures 61 cm in height by 46 cm in width. While the sources confirm its current location and physical dimensions within the museum's holdings, they do not provide a specific accession or inventory number for the piece.
Furthermore, the available records do not document any specific past or present exhibition history for this artwork, limiting the historical scope to its creation date and current institutional custody.
Overview
Francesco Francia, a Bolognese artist active in painting, goldsmithing, and medal production, completed Madonna and Child in 1498. This oil painting from the early Renaissance period depicts the Virgin Mary tenderly holding the Christ Child. It is a significant example of the era's devotional art and is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Francesco Francia, whose real name was Francesco Raibolini (1447 – 5 January 1517), was an Italian painter, goldsmith, and medallist from Bologna, who was also director of the city mint.
