Artwork
Mary with Child and founder
Mary with Child and founder is a paint painting by the High Renaissance artist Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano. It dates from 1497 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a sacra conversazione, a devotional format in which the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child appear alongside a contemporary figure in a shared sacred space. Mary is shown with the Christ Child, while an unidentified man is included as a donor portrait, depicted in the presence of the holy figures rather than kneeling at the margins of the composition. This arrangement allows the donor to participate visually in the sacred gathering, a convention that signified personal piety and the patron's spiritual connection to the divine.
The sacra conversazione format, identified as the work's main subject, reflects Renaissance ideas about the accessibility of holiness and the communion between earthly worshippers and the Virgin and Child. By integrating the donor directly into the holy scene, the painting functions both as a religious image and as a personalized devotional statement on behalf of the unnamed patron it portrays.
Technique & Style
The palette is restrained, dominated by muted earth tones that emphasize the luminous flesh of the figures and the Virgin’s blue mantle.
The painting is executed in oil on a poplar panel support, a common choice among Venetian painters of the period, and measures 68.5 cm in height by 92.3 cm in width. The handling displays the refined sfumato and delicate modeling associated with Cima da Conegliano, particularly in the softly rendered drapery and the tender interaction between the Virgin and Child. Stylistically, the composition adheres to the sacra conversazione tradition, with the donor included at lower left, anchoring the sacred figures in a unified, symmetrical arrangement.
The palette is restrained, dominated by muted earth tones that emphasize the luminous flesh of the figures and the Virgin’s blue mantle.
History & Provenance
The painting Mary with Child and founder was created by Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano in 1493. Executed in paint on a poplar panel, the work depicts a sacra conversazione featuring the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and an unidentified donor. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
Its creation history is tied to the specific year of 1493, marking a significant point in the artist's output during the late 15th century.
Mary with Child and founder is housed in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin, where it holds inventory number 1906. The work was created by Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano in 1493 and was first exhibited in a Bellini-influenced presentation titled Giovanni Bellini, crossed influences.
The painting entered the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin shortly after its creation and has remained part of the permanent display in the gallery’s Italian Renaissance rooms.
Overview
Created in 1497 by the Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano, this small oil work presents a devotional scene of the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ, accompanied by a kneeling donor. The composition follows the sacra conversazione format, arranging holy figures and a patron within a unified space. The painting now belongs to the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano
Giovanni Battista Cima, also called Cima da Conegliano (c. 1459 – c. 1517), was an Italian Renaissance painter, who mostly worked in Venice. He can be considered part of the Venetian school, though he was also…
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