Dec 29, 2009
Dec 29, 2009
Dec 29, 2009
Dec 29, 2009
Dec 29, 2009
Dec 29, 2009

Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child

c. 1475–1485

workshop of Pietro Lombardo

(Italian, c. 1435–1515)

Marble

Overall: 54.6 x 37.2 x 9.5 cm (21 1/2 x 14 5/8 x 3 3/4 in.)

General Income Fund 1920.273

Description

In the later 1400s, artists increasingly infused sacred subject matter with a classical vocabulary. The shallow relief and simplified forms ultimately stemmed from ancient sculpture, bringing gravity as well as novelty to a conventional theme. Yet naturalistic elements such as the baby’s bulging navel, chubby wrists, and shirt pulled up to reveal his genitals all humanize Christ, a critical principle of Christian dogma.

See also
Collection: 
Sculpture
Type of artwork: 
Sculpture
Medium: 
Marble
Credit line: 
General Income Fund

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