Madonna and Child, Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano | Mia

Madonna and Child, Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano — Madonna and Child, probably between 1500 and 1504
Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano
Oil on panel
Given in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic W. Clifford by their children 55.4
On View in Gallery 343
By the beginning of the 16th century, Italian painters had mastered the realistic depiction of three-dimensional forms. Cima used a simple composition of firmly modeled, clearly defined volumes for this straightforward presentation of the Virgin and Child. Neither of the figures is idealized; rather, they are portrayed in distinctly human terms. The Madonna, a large-handed peasant woman, is an image of rustic dignity and maternal devotion. The Christ child's nakedness symbolizes innocence and truth. In the foreground, a ledge separates the earthly realm of the Virgin and Child. The landscape is typical of scenery near Cima's native town of Conegliano, in the alpine region of northern Italy.

While Cima is best known for the many half-length Madonnas he painted for Venetian churches and civic buildings, the small size of this painting indicates that it was made instead for a household altar.

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da Conegliano, Madonna and Child (#624)

Details

Title: Madonna and Child
Dated: probably between 1500 and 1504
Artist: Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano
Nationality: Italian (Venice)
Artist Life: Italian (Venice), c. 1459–c. 1517
Role: Artist
Gallery: G343
Department: European Art
Dimension: 9 x 7 3/8 x 1/4 in. (22.86 x 18.73 x 0.64 cm) (canvas)15 x 13 1/8 x 2 3/8 in. (38.1 x 33.34 x 6.03 cm) (outer frame)
Credit: Given in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic W. Clifford by their children
Accession Number: 55.4
Medium: Oil on panel
Country: Italy
Century: 16th century
Rights: Public Domain
Classification: Paintings
Object Name: Painting
Wikipedia: Cite this information
Metadata: Click here to see the machine readable JSON data that underpins this page.
Curator Approved: This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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