Andrew

 Velasquez  

Ms.  Nancy  Hart  

Maymester  –  Italy  

5  June  2011  

Madonna  and  Child  

Numerous  artists  have  portrayed  the  Madonna  and  Child  over  time.  Each  

artist  uses  a  very  different  composition,  which  

aids  in  enhancing  his  interpretation  of  the  

Madonna  and  baby  Jesus.  Duccio  painted  the  

image  at  the  right  with  many  stylistic  

enhancements  added  as  well.  He  emphasizes  

the  angelic  figures  on  the  sides  more  than  that  

of  Giotto.  The  period  in  which  he  created  this  

piece  had  great  influence  on  its  overall  

composition  as  well.  The  golden  background,  

halos,  and  other  accents,  give  the  painting  a  

sense  of  power.  Expensive  artistic  materials  

generally  meant  that  a  wealthy  and  influential  

person  in  the  community  had  commissioned  

the  piece.  Duccio  gave  the  Madonna  a  very  simplistic  and  somewhat  manly  facial  

structure,  which  steered  away  from  the  idea  of  absolute  beauty.  This  piece  currently  

resides  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery’s  collection  in  Florence,  Italy,  right  next  to  a  comparable  

piece  by  Giotto,  another  great  artist  of  the  same  period.  
   Velasquez  2  

  Giotto,  just  as  Duccio,  gave  the  Madonna  a  masculine  face  with  no  prominent  

feminine  qualities.  The  composition  he  chose  to  use  is  much  more  complex  as  well.  

He  has  a  very  diverse  group  of  individuals  featured  in  the  background  of  the  

painting,  with  each  bearing  their  

own  individual  halo  of  gold.    

Though  both  are  depicted  

enthroned,  Giotto  gives  the  

Madonna  a  much  more  elaborate  

throne  with  the  kneeling  angels  

at  the  foot.  His  style  is  more  

simple  from  the  surface  and  

complex  when  looked  at  from  a  

closer  angle.  Giotto  gave  the  

Virgin  even  more  prominence  

with  her  dark  coloration  on  the  

more  muted  tones  of  the  rest  of  

the  piece,  which  frame  her  as  the  

focal  point.    

 
   Velasquez  3  

  Pietro  di  Giovanni  Tedesco  sculpted  this  piece,  titled  Madonna  of  the  Rose  in  

1399.  Though  this  is  not  the  original  work  it  is  an  exact  replica  of  the  piece  that  now  

resides  in  the  museum.  This  is  one  of  multiple  sculptures  build  into  the  façade  of  

Orsanmichele  and  is  one  of  two  

Madonna  and  child  themed  works  

that  accent  the  exterior.  As  

understood  by  the  title,  the  

Madonna  holds  a  bushel  of  roses  in  

her  hand  as  the  Christ  child  also  

places  his  hand  upon  them.  The  

piece  is  the  only  one  done  in  an  

entirely  gothic  style  in  the  buildings  

exterior.  Also,  of  the  six  sculptures  

that  remain  in  their  given  concaves,  

this  is  the  only  one  that  depicts  a  

woman,  or  that  of  Christ.  The  style  

is  much  more  subdued  and  has  less  

drama  added  to  the  clothing  

choices  and  the  facial  features.    It  is  

a  very  simplistic  expression  that  

Tedesco  was  attempting  to  expel,  unlike  that  of  the  colorful  pieces  by  della  Robbia.  
   Velasquez  4  

  The  sister  piece  to  the  Madonna  of  the  Rose.  Luca  della  Robbia  created  this  

piece  as  a  radial  wall  token,  or  roundel,  in  1464.  The  piece  has  such  vibrant  color  in  

the  sculpture,  which  was  unheard  of  during  della  Robbia’s  period  and  made  him  

stand  out  against  the  rest  of  the  artists  in  his  

time.  He  offered  something  that  many  

other  artists  had  not  pursued  or  

even  attempted.  The  

effervescent  blue  is  the  iconic  

color  of  the  virgin  and  can  be  

noticeably  seen  day  or  night  

on  the  exterior  of  

Orsanmichele.  The  glazed  

terra  cotta  has  survived  over  

five  hundred  years  without  

completely  crumbling.  Many  find  this  

to  be  one  of  the  biggest  surprises  of  the  piece    

due  to  the  fact  that  terra  cotta  is  generally  very  brittle  and  often  breaks  quite  easily.  

Luca  della  Robbia  found  a  miracle  in  this  medium  and  created  a  simple  masterpiece  

of  color  to  adorn  a  wall  filled  with  much  more  iconic  artists’  sculptures.  He  designed  

the  other  roundels  of  the  building  but  this  is  his  most  famous  and  most  detailed  of  

the  group.    

 
   Velasquez  5  

  Perugino  depicted  a  very  broad  faced  cast  in  his  Madonna  and  child  rendition  

featuring  at  the  sides:  Saint  Laurence,  Ludwig  of  Toulouse,  Ercolanus  and  Constance,  

protectors  of  the  city.  Perugino  is  known  for  his  harmonious  and  balanced  

compositions  as  in  the  one  below.  He  uses  perspective  in  his  pillared  covering  over  

the  cast  and  finds  great  detail  in  the  saints  clothing  and  less  detailing  in  that  of  the  

Virgin  and  child.  He  finds  

a  balance  of  softness  and  

stern  attitudes  between  

the  characters  and  forces  

the  center  to  stand  out  

more  than  the  other,  

lesser  characters.  The  

altarpiece  is  only  a  half  of  

a  much  larger  piece  that  

Perugino  was  

commissioned  to  do  by  

the  Council  of  Perugia,  

where  he  was  from.  The  other  half  is  still  in  Perugia  and  this  half  is  in  the  Vatican’s  

art  collection  in  Vatican  City.    

 
   Velasquez  6  

  This  painting,  though  titled  and  attributed,  it  is  still  believed  that  it  could  

not   have   been   done   by   Beato   Angelico.   There   is   no   reason   for   disbelief,   but  

there   is   nothing   that   absolutely   proves   him   to   be   the   artist.   The   title   of   the  

piece  is:  Madonna  and  Child  between  Saint  Dominic  and  Catherine  of  Alexandria.  

The   painting   was   finished   in   1435.   It   is   a   wood   panel   with   a   tempera   base  

material.   Because   of   the   playfulness   of   the   Virgin   with   the   Child   Jesus   it   is  

attributed   to   a   Tuscan   style   common   in   the   13th   century.   Mary   is   holding   a  

rose,   which   is   a  

symbol   of  

wisdom.  

Because   the  

piece   itself   is   so  

small   in   scale   it  

is   believed   to  

have   been  

painted   as   a  

personal   prayer  

totem   and   was  

for   singular   use  

unlike   the  

previous   panels  

that   covered  

walls  of  churches.  

   Velasquez  7  

  Sassoferato,  or  Giovanni  Battista  Salvi,  was  well  known  for  his  cradling  

Madonna  and  child,  which  he  recreated  many  times  in  many  different  color  

schemes.  The  oil  painting  has  a  very  different  ideal  that  is  portrayed.  Sassoferato  

shows  the  Virgin  resting  in  the  clouds  upon  a  crescent  moon  with  many  cherubs  

arising  from  the  clouds  surrounding  her.  She  cradles  a  clothed  Jesus,  which  is  rarely  

seen  in  most  depictions  of  the  Virgin  and  child.  And  again,  there  is  a  rose,  but  this  

time  it  hangs  on  the  end  of  

a  rosary  in  the  hands  of  the  

child  and  shows  a  strong  

sense  of  wisdom  for  the  

both  of  them.  Sassoferato  

uses  a  much  more  formal  

and  conservative  approach  

to  depicting  religious  

subjects,  which  became  

and  identifier  of  his  work  

and  made  the  viewers  

grow  to  embrace  his  very  

stylized  method.    

 
   Velasquez  8  

  Cimabue,  Giotto,  and  Duccio  all  used  the  same  basis  for  their  almost  identical  

altar  pieces  that  all  show  the  Madonna  and  child  with  a  background  of  angelic  

figures.  Cimabue  had  a  more  gothic-­‐esque  style  in  his  painting  that  stands  opposite  

of  the  previous  two  shown.  He  has  a  

much  more  restrained  technique  that  

allows  for  him  to  find  the  extreme  

detail  in  the  drapery  and  the  feathers  of  

the  wings.  Each  piece  of  the  throne  is  

meticulously  painted  with  the  ideas  of  

perspective  accounted  for  as  well.  

Cimabue  was  a  Renaissance  painter  

alongside  the  likes  of  Duccio  and  Giotto  

but  made  a  name  for  him  that  still  

stands  to  distinguish  him  today.  His  

faces  on  the  figures  all  resemble  a  like  

person  but  not  in  a  way  where  it  takes  

from  the  beauty  of  each  face  in  itself.  

The  patrons  and  commissioners  are  

featured  beneath  the  throne  of  the  

Virgin  and  keeps  them  involved  in  focus  

but  not  drawing  from  the  true  meaning  of  the  painting  and  what  he  is  trying  to  

portray  with  the  oils  on  the  wood.  

 
   Velasquez  9  

  Again,  Giotto  shows  his  surrealistic  figures.  The  child  sort  of  resembles  a  

small  Capuchin  monkey  instead  of  an  infant,  which  draws  from  the  idea  of  the  

Madonna  and  Child.  It  is  one  of  a  five  panel  series  that  Giotto  was  commisioned  to  

do  for  a  church  altar.  In  person,  I  found  the  

other  four  panels  of  the  piece  to  be  much  more  

beautiful  than  the  central  panel.  The  other  

panels  have  such  intricate  detail  that  I  wanted  

to  look  at  them  longer  than  the  one  depicting  

the  Virigin  and  child.  Giotto  uses  the  gold  

leafing    to  accentuate  the  figures  and  give  them  

a  glowing  quality  in  the  negative  space,  but  

also  makes  it  somewhat  cliché  at  the  same  

time.  There  were  so  many  altars  that  became  

overcome  by  the  gold  accents  that  they  

become  tiresome  to  look  at.  It  is  beautiful,  but  

there  was  not  a  sense  of  restriction  on  what  

could  be  done  in  art,  escecially  in  religious  

works  of  art  in  the  church.  

   Velasquez  10  

Fra  Filippo  Lippi  has  

many  paintings  of  the  

Madonna  and  Child  in  the  

Uffizi  Gallery  in  Florence  

alongside  this  one.  It  is  

done  in  tempera  on  

canvas  that  has  a  frame  

within  a  frame  as  though  

the  Madonna  and  the  

cherub  are  resting  on  the  

edge  of  it.  This  piece  has  a  

differing  quality  also,  

because  the  Virgin  is  not  

physically  holding  the  

child  as  in  most  other  

versions  where  she  

cradles  the  child  in  her  

arms.  The  entire  painting  is  very  soft  and  subdued,  all  attributed  to  the  style  of  Lippi  

and  his  portrayal  of  figures  in  paint.  Softened  details  and  folds  keep  the  realism  and  

also  keep  it  with  the  holy  with  a  very  faint  halo  on  both  the  Virgin  and  the  child’s  

heads.    

 
   Velasquez  11  

  Another  of  Lippi’s  works,  Madonna  and  Child  with  the  life  of  Saint  Anne,  is  a  

radial  based  piece  with  a  very  complex  background  and  a  much  more  diverse  study  

than  the  previous.  He  attempts  to  use  a  great  deal  of  perspective  in  this  piece  with  

the  leading  lines  in  the  ceiling  and  floor  that  appear  to  lead  to  a  singular  vanishing  

point.  This  Madonna  has  a  saddened  face  and  an  almost  disconnected  expression  

that  leaves  her  just  being  there  in  the  moment.  The  life  of  Saint  Anne  unfolds  in  the  

background  with  no  direct  correlation  to  the  Virgin  and  child.  There  is  a  total  of  

thirteen  figures  in  the  piece  with  not    

one  of  them  directing  their  

attention  toward  the  

viewer,  or  drawing  

attention  to  one  

place  more  

than  another.  

All  of  the  

space  remains  

activated  with  

motion  and  

drives  the  eye  to  

see  everything  in  the  

painting  and  to  not  miss  out  

on  one  detail  that  Lippi  included.  

 
   Velasquez  12  

  Botticelli  also  has  numerous  pieces  in  the  Uffizi  collection  that  feature  the  

Madonna.  The  one  depicted  below  was  created  as  a  roundel.  The  central  figure,  the  

Virgin  has  a  very  feminine  look,  unlike  many  of  the  earlier  pieces  in  previous  

centuries.  All  of  the  colors  are  very  vibrant  and  lively  that  give  it  more  of  a  modern  

edge  that  the  others  do  not  attain  with  color.  This  depiction  is  also  much  more  

realistic  and  has  a  late/post-­‐Renaissance  style.  Botticelli  gives  great  amounts  of  light  

to  the  figures  and  allows  for  everything  to  be  shown  and  for  there  to  be  nothing  

extra  added  to  the  composition.  It  is  simply  a  painting  of  people  and  nothing  more  

and  nothing  less.  The  exact  balance  of  what  he  needed  to  get  the  image  to  be      

                  understood  by  viewers  and    

                  for  the  audience  to  

adapt  to  the  

change  in  

art.  

 
   Velasquez  13  

  The  Uffizi  seems  to  hold  a  generous  amount  of  the  Renaissance  art  and  most  

of  the  well-­‐known  artists.  Botticelli  painted  the  one  below  as  well.  The  color  palette  

is  much  more  simplified  and  has  darker  values  added  to  give  a  drearier  effect  on  the  

viewer’s  interpretation.  Mary  is  adorned  in  her  signature  blue,  with  her  being  the  

primary  figure  with  any  color  at  all.  Botticelli  uses  a  full  cast  of  male  figures  in  this  

painting,  which  is  like  the  one  above,  only  these  are  much  more  “manly”  men  and  

the  ones  in  the  previous  painting  are  lacking  in  that  quality.  There  is  a  gloomy  edge  

to  this  painting  with  the  darker  figures  that  loom  around  the  enthroned  Virgin.  

Botticelli  focuses  the  attention  of  softness  on  the  lovely  and  quaint  women  sitting  

boldly  in  the  center  of  the  image  and  finds  a  way  of  balancing  the  view  with  the  

negative  space  being  filled  with  more  unruly  characters.  

   Velasquez  14  

Albrecht  Dürer  painted  this  portrait  Madonna  in  1526.  Most  modern  

Madonnas  are  painted  in  a  similar  style  to  this  with  a  very  simple  composition  and  

the  portrait  just  focusing  on  the  Madonna  and  child.  He  found  a  category  to  build  

upon  because  he  later  created  numerous  other  pieces  in  the  same  style.  When  

Dürer’s  work  is  looked  at  

over  his  lifetime,  his  skill  

improved  and  he  later  

created  more  realistic  figures,  

unlike  the  ones  shown  here.  

The  child’s  face  is  not  

proportionate  and  the  

Madonna’s  head  appears  to  

be  too  large  for  her  frame.  

The  piece  is  titled,  Madonna  

of  the  Pear.  His  later  works  

have  more  color  and  show  

better  workmanship  in  his  

technique  and  skill.  This  

piece  currently  hangs  in  the  

Uffizi  Gallery  in  Florence,  Italy  alongside  some  of  the  greatest  artists  ever  known.  

 
   Velasquez  15  

Raffaello  Sanzio,  or  better  known  as  Raphael,  is  by  far  one  of  my  favorite  

artists  to  have  seen  in  person.  The  photos  do  not  do  his  work  justice.  The  figures  are  

as  perfect  as  possible  and  the  colors  are  awing.  There  is  not  enough  to  praise  him  

on.  The  painting  is  done  in  oil  on  a  wood  panel  and  is  titled:  Madonna  and  the  

Goldfinch.  The  children,  Christ  and  a  young  John  the  Baptist,  are  holding  the  finch  

between  them  while  the  Madonna  looks  down  on  them.  In  1506  Raphael  gifted  this  

painting  to  a  friend,  Lorenzo  Nasi,  whose  house  was  later  destroyed  by  an    

earthquake,  in  which  this  painting  splintered  into  seventeen  different  pieces.  The  

painting  finished  it  final  

restoration  in  2008  and  is  

now  re-­‐hung  in  the  Uffizi  

Gallery  in  Florence  

(Mail).    Below  is  the  

piece  before  

restoration.  

 
   Velasquez  16  

  The  clock  tower  at  St.  Mark’s  square  holds  this  statue.  The  statue  was  

selected  to  replace  a  previous  statue  of  Doge  Agostino  Barbarigo.  The  statue  is  of  

gilded  bronze  and  has  been  in  the  alcove  since  1797.(Goy  online)  Because  it  is  so  

high  up  on  the  tower,  it  is  

more  difficult  to  see  the  

detail  of  the  piece.  From  

the  photograph,  it  

appears  to  have  a  very  

simplified  style.  I  would  

assume  they  chose  

something  simple  

because  a  large  amount  of  

detail  would  be  wasted  

on  the  project  and  would  

not  be  able  to  be  seen  

from  the  level  of  the  

square..  

 
   Velasquez  17  

Thorns  shoot  out  of  the  sides  from  behind  this  sculpture.  The  draped  

Madonna  lightly  cradles  the  child  and  looks  down  on  him.  The  radiating  halo  around  

her  entire  body  comes  out  like  thorns  yet  are  gilded  in  gold  to  represent  the  higher  

power  of  the  Virgin  and  child.  The  sculpture  is  set  on  the  corner  of  a  San  Michele  in  

Foro  in  Lucca.  The  faces  of  both  figures  have  been  destroyed  or  ruined  over  time  so  

they  features  are  unrecognizable.  The  church  itself  had  so  many  details  that  it  was  

impossible  to  see  them  all,  but  this  caught  my  eye  

because  of  the  

golden  detail  that  

surrounded  it  and  

how  simple  the  

sculpture  was  in  

itself.  

 
   Velasquez  18  

I  found  this  sculpture  at  some  point  while  walking  through  Florence.  I  am  not  

quite  sure  in  what  building  it  was  that  I  happened  to  wander  past,  but  It  was  an  

amazing  sculpture  to  just  stumble  upon.  That  was  the  part  I  loved  about  Italy.  I  

loved  that  anywhere  I  walked  there  was  always  something  new  to  see  that  I  may  not  

have  seen  before,  even  if  I  passed  the  same  spot  ten  different  times.  When  I  first  saw  

this  in  my  photos  I  had  mistaken  it  for  the  Madonna  at  Orsanmichele.    Though,  when  

I  put  them  next  to  each  other,  liked  this  one  much  more.  I  like  the  detail  of  the  two  

figures  and  the  drapery  of  the  cloth  over  their  bodies.  The  hooded  veil  is  amazingly  

done  over  her  face  with  no  fracture  or  break.  She  bears  a  stone  crown  and  the  child  

has  a  metal  halo  that  was  added    

after  the  sculptures  

completion.  I  feel  that  this  

accomplished  a  better  look    

than  the  one  of  

Orsanmichele.    

 
   Velasquez  19  

Works  Cited:  

Goy,  Richard  J.  Building  Renaissance  Venice.  Yale  University  Press.  2006.  3  June  2011.    

Online.  http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300112924  

Mail  Foreign  Service.  Daily  Mail  UK.  24  October  2008.  3  June  2011.  Online.    

  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-­‐1080424/A-­‐masterpieces-­‐  

renaissance-­‐Raphaels-­‐Madonna-­‐Goldfinch-­‐returns-­‐painstaking-­‐10-­‐year-­‐  

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