Artwork
Madonna and Child
Madonna and Child is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Benozzo Gozzoli. It dates from 1460 and is held in the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
About this work
Overview
Madonna and Child, a tempera painting from circa 1460, is a work of the early Renaissance created by Benozzo Gozzoli, a Florentine artist and pupil of Fra Angelico. It is part of the Detroit Institute of Arts collection.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a religious scene focusing on the Virgin Mary, identifiable by her blue robe with a gold border and a star on her left shoulder, and the Christ Child. Both are haloed, with Mary's halo adorned with inscribed text. Surrounding angels, some with halos and wings, emphasize the sacred nature of the central figures.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera, the work showcases Gozzoli's adherence to traditional medieval techniques while hinting at the emerging Renaissance style through the composition's dynamic arrangement of figures, suggesting movement and energy around the static, central divine pair.
History & Provenance
Created around 1460, the painting's early history is not detailed in the provided sources. It is known to be part of the Detroit Institute of Arts' collection, indicating its eventual acquisition by the institution, though the specifics of its journey there are unspecified.
Context
As an early Renaissance piece, *Madonna and Child* reflects the transitional artistic period in Florence, blending late Gothic elements (e.g., tempera, halo details) with nascent Renaissance compositional innovations, characteristic of Gozzoli's work under Fra Angelico's influence.
Legacy
While specific influences or direct artistic legacies of *Madonna and Child* are not highlighted in the provided information, the work contributes to the broader understanding of Benozzo Gozzoli's contribution to the early Renaissance and the evolution of religious art in 15th-century Florence.
Artist & collection
Artist
Benozzo Gozzoli (pronounced ; born Benozzo di Lese; c. 1421 – 4 October 1497) was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. A pupil of Fra Angelico, Gozzoli is best known for a series of murals in the Magi Chapel of…
Saints Nicholas of Tolentino, Roch, Sebastian, and Bernardino of Siena, with Kneeling Donors
Saint Ursula with Two Angels and Donor
The Raising of Lazarus
The Feast of Herod and the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist
Madonna and Child with St Francis and the donor Father Jacopo da Montefalco (left) and St Bernard of Siena (right)
Mary with the child and saints
Madonna with Child
Madonna and Child (Obverse) and Tobias with Archangel Raphael (Reverse)
