Artwork
Madonna and Child with Donors
Madonna and Child with Donors is a tempera painting by the Italo Byzantine artist Giovanni da Milano. It dates from 1365 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting thus represents both a theological statement on the humanity of Christ and a personal testament to the faith of the woman portrayed.
Created in 1365 by Giovanni da Milano, this tempera panel painting functions as a work of religious art centered on the Madonna and Child. The composition explicitly depicts the Virgin Mary alongside the Christ Child, establishing the primary theological focus on the Incarnation. Distinct from standard devotional images of the pair, the iconography incorporates a female donor figure, indicating a specific commission intended to memorialize a patron's piety.
By including a living supplicant within the sacred space, the work symbolizes the intercessory power of the Virgin, bridging the earthly realm of the donor with the divine presence of Jesus. The painting thus represents both a theological statement on the humanity of Christ and a personal testament to the faith of the woman portrayed.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1365 by Giovanni da Milano, this religious work is a tempera painting on a wooden panel support. The composition features the Madonna and Child alongside a female donor figure. Physically, the panel measures 68.9 centimeters in height and 144.1 centimeters in width, indicating a horizontal format typical for devotional images of this period.
The application of tempera on panel was the standard medium for Italian trecento painting, allowing for the precise, linear detailing characteristic of the artist's style. While specific details regarding the current surface condition or handling history are not provided in the available records, the work's classification as a panel painting confirms its structural makeup. The piece is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where its material integrity supports its attribution to the mid-fourteenth century.
History & Provenance
Giovanni da Milano's Madonna and Child with Donors, created in 1365, is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting, executed in tempera on panel, measures 68.9 cm in height and 144.1 cm in width. While the provided sources confirm its location within the museum and its creation date, they do not specify the museum's internal inventory or accession number for this work.
Furthermore, the available documentation does not list any specific exhibitions in which the painting has appeared, leaving its exhibition history unrecorded in these references.
Legacy
The painting is frequently cited in scholarship as an early example of the Madonna and Child motif within Italian religious art, its inclusion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection underscoring its recognized significance. Documentation of its dimensions, materials, and provenance highlights its importance for the study of 14th‑century panel painting, contributing to ongoing discussions of Giovanni da Milano’s role in the development of devotional imagery. The work’s technical execution in tempera on panel, as recorded in catalogues, exemplifies the stylistic conventions of the period and informs contemporary reconstructions of early Renaissance aesthetics.
Overview
Giovanni da Milano painted Madonna and Child with Donors in 1365, utilizing tempera. This religious panel, typical of 14th-century Italian art, depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, flanked by kneeling and standing figures of donors. The work reflects the artist's engagement with Florentine painting traditions and is now part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, representing a significant example of the period's devotional art.
Artist & collection
Artist
Giovanni da Milano (Giovanni di Jacopo di Guido da Caversaccio) was an Italian painter, known to be active in Florence and Rome between 1346 and 1369.
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