Artwork
The Madonna of the Stars
The Madonna of the Stars is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Jacopo Tintoretto. It dates from 1580 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed circa 1580, this religious painting utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 92.7 centimeters in height and 72.7 centimeters in width. Attributed to Jacopo Tintoretto, the piece is classified as a painting within the religious genre. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
The Madonna of the Stars is a circa 1580 oil-on-canvas religious painting attributed to Jacopo Tintoretto.
The Madonna of the Stars is a circa 1580 oil-on-canvas religious painting attributed to Jacopo Tintoretto. It entered the Kurt Walter Bachstitz Gallery in The Hague by 1921 and subsequently passed to collectors Ralph Harman and Mary Batterman Booth in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, by 1923. The work was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1947, where it remains in the collection.
Overview
Tintoretto's The Madonna of the Stars, an oil on canvas from around 1580, exemplifies the Venetian Mannerist style. It portrays the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child within a celestial environment. The work showcases the artist's characteristic approach to figure representation and spatial arrangement, reflecting his late Renaissance aesthetic. Its serene composition, marked by warm tones and soft illumination, invites quiet contemplation.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a tender moment between the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. Mary, clad in a white robe and brown cloak, gazes down at her child, who is wrapped in white cloth. The background features a golden sky filled with clouds and playful cherubs, establishing a celestial context.
This intimate scene conveys a sense of tranquility and maternal devotion, enhanced by the gentle interplay of light and color.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518 – 31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( TIN-tə-RET-oh; Italian:; Venetian: ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school.
