Artwork
Madonna and Child
Madonna and Child is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Jacopo Bassano. It dates from 1540 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, a conventional subject in Christian iconography known as the Madonna and Child.
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 contemplative pose, her gaze directed toward the child, who is positioned centrally and reaches toward her. The composition emphasizes maternal tenderness while maintaining a devotional character appropriate to Counter-Reformation religious art of the mid-sixteenth century. The work reflects the period’s emphasis on accessible, emotionally resonant sacred imagery intended to foster personal devotion.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a common support for sixteenth-century Venetian religious works. Handling shows the characteristic Bassanesque use of thick, luminous impasto in the Virgin’s drapery and Christ Child’s flesh, contrasted with more fluid, glazed passages in the background and delicate highlights on drapery edges. Compositionally, the figures are arranged in a gently turning pyramid, aligning with mid-century Venetian norms for intimacy and accessibility in sacred imagery.
No condition report is provided in the sources, so no remarks on damage or restoration can be made.
History & Provenance
Jacopo Bassano created the oil painting Madonna and Child in 1540. Executed on canvas, the work depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child within a religious context. The piece currently resides in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where it is maintained as part of their holdings.
No specific details regarding the original commission or an intermediate ownership chain prior to its museum acquisition are provided in the available records.
The painting is held by the Detroit Institute of Arts, as recorded in the associated collection data. It is catalogued as an oil-on-canvas work measuring 80.6 cm in height by 63.8 cm in width, dated to 1540.
The provided sources do not include a specific accession number or inventory identifier for the work within the Detroit Institute of Arts, nor do they document any exhibition history, loans, or prior public displays.
Overview
Jacopo Bassano’s oil painting titled Madonna and Child, executed around 1540, presents a serene mother and infant in a compact composition. The work is part of the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts, where it remains on display as an example of mid‑sixteenth‑century religious art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacopo Bassano was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. He was born and died in Bassano del Grappa, and took the village as his surname. Having trained in the workshop of his father, Francesco the…
