The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 5, 2023

Virgin and Child

late 1430s

Rossello di Jacopo Franchi

(Italian, c.1376–1457)

Italy, Florence, 15th century

Tempera on wood

Framed: 79.5 x 64 x 5.5 cm (31 5/16 x 25 3/16 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 69.2 x 55.2 cm (27 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.)

Holden Collection 1916.814

Location

not on view

Description

In his left hand the Christ Child holds a swallow. Swallows were thought to hibernate during winter in nests of mud. Their re-emergence in spring symbolized the Resurrection of Christ. This painting was probably the central panel of an altarpiece. After the altarpiece was broken up, the work was cut into its present octagonal shape.

Provenance
James Jackson Jarves (1884). Mrs. Liberty E. Holden, Cleveland.
Citations
Rubinstein-Bloch, Stella. Catalogue of a Collection of Paintings, Etc. Presented by Mrs. Liberty E. Holden to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1917. Mentioned: p. 30, cat. no. 30; Reproduced: p. 61, No. 30 archive.org
Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 1. European Paintings before 1500. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: fig. 27, p. 70 - 71
Exhibition history

Inaugural Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (co-organizer) (June 6-September 20, 1916).

The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 12, 1936).

Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 29, 1971-January 2, 1972).

Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.814