Artwork
Madonna and Child
Madonna and Child is a tempera painting. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
In this iconography Mary is shown with a modest veil and a contemplative gaze, while the Child holds a blessing gesture, signifying his role as the savior.
The painting portrays the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Christ, the classic Madonna and Child motif that embodies maternal protection and the incarnation of divine grace. In this iconography Mary is shown with a modest veil and a contemplative gaze, while the Child holds a blessing gesture, signifying his role as the savior. The work’s religious genre and tempera medium on panel underscore its devotional function within early‑16th‑century Venetian art, reflecting theological emphasis on Mary’s intercessory role and the intimate bond between mother and child.
Technique & Style
The work is a tempera painting executed on a wooden panel, dating to around 1500 and housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its support is a panel, a common format for early sixteenth-century Italian religious images, and the medium is listed as tempera. The composition depicts the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ, reflecting the devotional subject typical of the period.
The painting's formal qualities include a restrained color palette, linear outlines, and a focus on the intimate relationship between mother and child, characteristic of Venetian devotional art.
History & Provenance
The Madonna and Child is a tempera painting dated to 1500, executed on panel. The work entered the collection of Michael Friedsam before being held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is currently located as part of the institution's holdings. No further details regarding an original commission, prior ownership, or chain of custody prior to Friedsam are documented in the available sources.
The painting, executed in tempera on panel in 1500, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its provenance includes prior ownership by Michael Friedsam before its accession into the museum's holdings. No specific inventory or accession number is recorded in the available documentation, and no exhibition history is documented in the provided sources.
Overview
This painting, titled Madonna and Child, is rendered in tempera. It presents a traditional depiction of the Virgin Mary seated, cradling the infant Jesus. The artwork's dark background emphasizes the central figures, which appear somewhat aged and muted due to the passage of time and the characteristics of the medium.
Artist & collection
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