Madonna and Child
Beautifully preserved, this small picture epitomizes the finest works produced in Bellini’s workshop for private devotion. The landscape derives from one by Bellini himself. The metaphorical contrast between the two halves of the landscape, with a dead tree and one in foliage, are intentional and remind the viewer of the consequences of the choices we make during our pilgrimage of life. The poet Bembo reported that "it is [Bellini's] practice . . .to always wander at will in his paintings so that in a like fashion they satisfy those who look at them."
Artwork Details
- Title: Madonna and Child
- Artist: Workshop of Giovanni Bellini (Italian, Venice, 1424/26–1516 Venice)
- Date: ca. 1510
- Medium: Oil on wood
- Dimensions: Overall 13 1/2 x 10 7/8 in. (34.3 x 27.6 cm); painted surface 12 3/4 x 10 1/8 in. (32.4 x 25.7 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
- Object Number: 49.7.2
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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