The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve
1400
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1400
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve is a 1400 unspecified by Olivuccio di Ciccarello, a Italo Byzantine work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
In this 1400 painting, a humble Mary sits on the ground nursing baby Jesus. Saints kneel beside her while his disciples glow like stars in her halo. Down below, Eve reaches for the forbidden fruit, nudged by a serpent. It’s a quiet battle between good and bad. The top half is calm and holy. The bottom half is messy and human. Look up Olivuccio di Ciccarello (Italian, Marche, 1360/65–1439) next.
The Madonna is seated humbly on the ground nursing her child. Saint George and the Archangels Gabriel and Michael kneel nearby, while Christ’s disciples appear radiating from the Madonna’s halo in the form of stars. In contrast with the Virgin’s purity, Eve lies in the lower part of the painting. Coaxed by the serpent, she raises the forbidden fruit to her mouth, thus condemning humankind through her original sin. The juxtaposition of these two images affirms the Incarnation and the role of Christ and the Virgin in the redemption story. The deep scratches on the surface of the panel,…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Olivuccio di Ciccarello (died 1439) was an Italian painter. Little is known of his life. He was a native of Camerino and was active from 1388 until his death. In 2002 works formerly attributed to an obscure painter…
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