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Madonna and Child

ca. 1470
Not on view
This early work by the Venetian painter, Giovanni Bellini, reveals the profound influence of his brother-in-law, the Paduan master Andrea Mantegna, both in the figure types and the inclusion of the garland. The treatment of the landscape and the use of the oil medium, with which Giovanni may have been experimenting since the 1460s, were likely inspired by Netherlandish painting. Bellini creates a dramatic connection between the worshipper and subject through the Virgin’s left hand, extending across the parapet, and her fingertip, which reaches into the viewer’s space. The gourds in the garland and at the left of the parapet symbolize the Resurrection; the fruit at right might be a cherry, signifying the Eucharist, or an apple, evoking the Fall.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madonna and Child
  • Artist: Giovanni Bellini (Italian, Venice, 1424/26–1516 Venice)
  • Date: ca. 1470
  • Medium: Tempera, oil, and gold on wood
  • Dimensions: 21 1/4 x 15 3/4 in. (54 x 40 cm) (31 x 26 inches framed)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.81
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

More Artwork
Madonna and Child, Giovanni Bellini Italian, Oil on wood
Madonna and Child
Giovanni Bellini
late 1480s
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
The Acts of Desmond Tutu, Richard Clarke British, Tempera, oil, and gold paint on wood
The Acts of Desmond Tutu
Richard Clarke
1987
Madonna Adoring the Sleeping Child, Giovanni Bellini Italian, Tempera on wood
Madonna Adoring the Sleeping Child
Giovanni Bellini
early 1460s
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head, Steel, copper, gold, glass, pigment, textile, Italian
Sallet in the Shape of a Lion's Head
Italian
ca. 1475–80

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