Artwork
Virgin and Child with an Angel
Virgin and Child with an Angel is an unspecified painting by the Early Renaissance artist Cosimo Rosselli. It dates from 1470 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1470, *Virgin and Child with an Angel* is an oil painting by the Florentine artist Cosimo Rosselli. Executed during the early Renaissance, the work presents the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, accompanied by a winged angel. The composition reflects the devotional imagery typical of mid‑15th‑century Italy and is now part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The central figures are the Virgin in a red mantle, cradling a serene Christ child, while an angel with a beard and wings stands behind them, offering a round object that may symbolize a celestial sphere or a divine gift. A rose pinned to Mary’s dress adds a subtle emblem of purity and love, reinforcing the painting’s religious intent.
Technique & Style
Rosselli employs soft chiaroscuro to model the figures, giving the skin a gentle luminosity and the drapery a tactile quality. The background recedes into a muted landscape of trees and a faint sky, providing depth without distracting from the intimate foreground scene. The handling of light and delicate modeling align with the early Renaissance’s move toward naturalism.
History & Provenance
Although Rosselli was a prolific painter of frescoes in Florence, Pisa and Rome—including work in the Sistine Chapel—this panel work entered the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, through later acquisitions. The painting has remained relatively obscure compared with works by his more celebrated contemporaries, yet it illustrates his role in the artistic commissions of the period.
Context
The work belongs to a broader tradition of Marian devotion that flourished in 15th‑century Italy, where images of the Virgin and Child were frequently accompanied by angels as intercessors. Rosselli’s treatment reflects the influence of his Florentine peers while retaining a personal softness in the figures’ expressions and the overall composition.
Artist & collection
Artist
Cosimo Rosselli (Italian: ; 1439–1507) was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento, active mainly in his birthplace of Florence, but also in Pisa earlier in his career and in 1481–82 in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, where…
