Artwork
Maria mit Kind
Maria mit Kind is an unspecified painting by the High Renaissance artist Giampietrino. It dates from 1517 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The absence of additional narrative elements keeps the focus on the sacred bond between mother and child, a theme central to Marian devotion in Christian art.
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, a conventional subject in Christian iconography known as the Madonna and Child. Mary is shown in a frontal pose, cradling the infant Jesus in her arms, a composition that emphasizes maternal tenderness and protection. The year 1517 is inscribed on the work, anchoring it within the High Renaissance period when such devotional images were widely produced to inspire veneration and reflection on the divine and human dimensions of the figures.
The absence of additional narrative elements keeps the focus on the sacred bond between mother and child, a theme central to Marian devotion in Christian art.
Technique & Style
Created in 1517, Maria mit Kind is an oil painting executed on a panel support. The work measures 72 cm in height and 61 cm in width. As a religious genre piece by Giampietrino, it depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. The painting is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
History & Provenance
Maria mit Kind is a religious painting by Giampietrino dated 1517. The work is held in the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is located at the Alte Pinakothek. The sources do not provide information about a commissioning patron, prior ownership, or intervening provenance prior to its acquisition by the Bavarian State Painting Collections, nor do they detail the circumstances of its creation beyond the 1517 date.
Legacy
The work's later influence is noted through its inclusion in the Bavarian State Painting Collections and its continued display at the Alte Pinakothek, establishing a lasting presence in art historical discourse. Its reputation as a representative example of early 16th-century Lombard-influenced religious painting has contributed to scholarly discussions of Giampietrino's role in transmitting Leonardo-esque compositional ideals to later generations. The painting's legacy is anchored in its status as a key work within the Madonna and Child tradition, frequently referenced in studies of devotional imagery from the High Renaissance period.
Overview
Created in 1517, Maria mit Kind is a religious painting by the Lombard artist Giampietrino, identified with Giovanni Pietro Rizzoli. Executed during the High Renaissance, it portrays the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ and is currently displayed in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giampietrino, probably Giovanni Pietro Rizzoli (active 1495–1549), was a north Italian painter of the Lombard school and Leonardo's circle, succinctly characterized by S. J. Freedberg as an "exploiter of Leonardo's repertory."
