Artwork Page for Virgin and Child

Details / Information for Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child

1400s

possibly by Icilio Federico Joni

(Italian, 1866–1946)

workshop of Sano di Pietro

(Italian, 1406–1481)
Culture
Italy, 15th century
Medium
tempera and gold on wood
Measurements
Framed: 30.5 x 22.9 x 3.2 cm (12 x 9 x 1 1/4 in.); Unframed: 24.2 x 16.6 cm (9 1/2 x 6 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Henry White Cannon 1944.56
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

This picture has at times been seen as a forgery due to its seemingly excellent state of preservation and the simplicity of the composition. It was cleaned, retouched, and re-varnished in the 1960s, giving it an even, shiny surface, hiding to some extent its original appearance. This treatment was probably undertaken to address the losses to the Christ child's hair and the discoloration and abrasion of the Virgin's mantle. Also problematic is the restoration of the frame and sides of the panel, which obscure the age of the work. However, both the panel itself and the pigments employed prove that this is a 15th-century painting—though of lesser quality than the CMA's Virgin and Child Adored by Saints (1924.199). In particular, the Virgin's robe appears to have been painted originally with the pigment azurite, a less costly mineral pigment used as an alternative to ultramarine (made of powdered lapis lazuli). The use of this less expensive material, along with the picture's small size and simple composition, suggest that it was made by a member of Sano's workshop and not Sano himself.
A vertically oriented tempera and gold painting depicts the Virgin Mary and infant Christ, both with light skin tones. Mary wears a dark blue cloak over a white veil, gazing down at the child. Christ, dressed in a patterned gold robe, looks up while holding a round orange fruit. Both have large, patterned gold halos against a textured gold background. Mary's hands cradle Christ as he sits within a tiered gold frame.

Virgin and Child

1400s

Icilio Federico Joni, Sano di Pietro

(Italian, 1866–1946), (Italian, 1406–1481)
Italy, 15th century

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