Artwork
Madonna Adoring the Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and an Angel
Madonna Adoring the Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and an Angel is a tempera painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Lorenzo di Credi. It dates from 1496 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This tempera painting depicts the Madonna in adoration of the Christ Child, accompanied by the infant Saint John the Baptist and an angel.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a work of religious art, the subject matter focuses on the adoration of the divine infant by his mother and the young forerunner, John.
Lorenzo di Credi's 1490 tempera panel depicts a sacred gathering centered on the Madonna and Child. The composition includes the Infant Saint John the Baptist, who stands in the presence of the Christ Child, alongside a celestial angel. As a work of religious art, the subject matter focuses on the adoration of the divine infant by his mother and the young forerunner, John.
The inclusion of the angel reinforces the heavenly nature of the scene, framing the interaction as a moment of spiritual significance. The figures are arranged to emphasize the piety and reverence characteristic of late 15th-century devotional painting, presenting a traditional iconographic program where the holy family and John the Baptist converge in a moment of worship.
Technique & Style
The painting employs tempera on panel, consistent with Florentine practice of the late fifteenth century. Lorenzo di Credi’s handling shows fine, layered brushwork typical of tempera, with smooth transitions in the modelling of flesh and delicate hatching in drapery folds. The composition is organized frontally, centring the Virgin and Child while the Infant Saint John and an angel flank them symmetrically; the figures are arranged in shallow relief, creating a calm, sculptural presence.
Subtle chiaroscuro defines volumes, and the palette, soft pinks and blues against warm ochres, anchors the scene in a restrained, luminous harmony.
History & Provenance
The painting, titled Madonna Adoring the Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and an Angel, was created by Lorenzo di Credi around 1490. Executed in tempera on panel, the work depicts a religious scene featuring the Madonna, the Christ Child, the infant Saint John the Baptist, and an angel. Current records indicate the artwork is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While the specific commissioning details or the original patron are not detailed in the available records, the creation date is consistently cited as 1490, situating the piece within the late 15th-century Florentine artistic context. The work remains a significant example of Lorenzo di Credi's religious output from that period.
The painting Madonna Adoring the Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist and an Angel by Lorenzo di Credi is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created circa 1490 using tempera on panel, the work is located at this institution in New York. While the provided records confirm its current repository and classification as a religious painting depicting the Madonna, Christ Child, Saint John, and an angel, they do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers. Furthermore, no details regarding the work's exhibition history are available within the referenced sources.
Context
Lorenzo di Credi produced this tempera panel in 1490, depicting the Virgin Mary tenderly holding the infant Jesus while an angel and the child Saint John the Baptist observe; the composition exemplifies early Renaissance devotional imagery. The painting, classified as religious art, is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, underscoring its significance within the corpus of Florentine workshop output. Its iconography, Madonna and Child, angel, and Saint John, reflects contemporary theological themes and highlights Credi's role in sustaining devotional painting traditions of the late 15th century.
Overview
This tempera painting depicts the Madonna in adoration of the Christ Child, accompanied by the infant Saint John the Baptist and an angel. The composition centers on the Virgin Mary, shown kneeling in a blue robe, cradling the infant Jesus. Two other young figures engage with the scene, set against a serene landscape background featuring rolling hills and a distant structure.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Lorenzo di Credi (1456/59 – January 12, 1537) was an Italian Renaissance painter and sculptor best known for his paintings of religious subjects, and portraits.
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