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Virgin and Child with Saints Jerome and Nicholas of Tolentino by Lorenzo Lotto

Lorenzo Lotto · 1522-01-01

The Virgin and Child with Saints Jerome and Nicholas of Tolentino by Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1523-1524) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, caused a scandal for its daring depiction of the Madonna. When it debuted, critics deemed her gaze too direct and her melancholy expression indecent, leading to its rejection from a public exhibition. The painting shows Mary holding the Christ Child, flanked by Saint Jerome and Saint Nicholas of Tolentino.

Look closely at the Madonna's face; her direct and somewhat sorrowful gaze was revolutionary for the time. The Christ Child beside her also has a serious, knowing expression, hinting at his divine nature. Notice the detailed rendering of his plump hands, a symbol of his vulnerability.

This work dates to the end of Lotto's time in Bergamo. It was part of the Dawkins collection in Oxford before moving to New York and finally to Boston in 1960. Lotto's insistence on portraying the Madonna with a profound human emotionality was a bold choice that challenged contemporary artistic conventions and public expectations.

Lotto's willingness to depict sacred figures with such unvarnished human emotion invites us to see them not just as divine icons, but as complex beings. What does this more human portrayal mean to you?

Details

She looks right at you. Who is she?
She looks right at you. Who is she?
His aged, weathered face conveys wisdom and a deep sense of contemplation.
His aged, weathered face conveys wisdom and a deep sense of contemplation.
His plump, delicate hands are rendered with exquisite detail, emphasizing his vulnerability and humanity.
His plump, delicate hands are rendered with exquisite detail, emphasizing his vulnerability and humanity.
Transcript

She looks right at you. Who is she? This is the Madonna, mother of Christ. But her gaze was too direct, too bold. In 1523, this caused an outrage. Critics saw her melancholy as indecent. They rejected her for the public salon. Look at the child's knowing expression. Lotto insisted on his Madonna's humanity.