Artwork
Madonna and Child with Two Donors
Madonna and Child with Two Donors is an oil painting by the Mannerist artist Lorenzo Lotto. It dates from 1525 and is held in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum.
About this work
Overview
Madonna and Child with Two Donors is a 16th-century oil painting by Lorenzo Lotto, created between 1533 and 1535. The work is now part of the J. Paul Getty Museum's collection in Los Angeles.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts the Madonna holding a naked infant Jesus, set against a distant landscape with a town by water. Below them, two donors—a balding man and a woman with curled hair—gaze upwards, positioned as silent observers of the sacred scene.
Technique & Style
Lotto employed chiaroscuro to achieve depth, juxtaposing the vibrant blue of the Madonna's dress with the pale skin of the child and the rich folds of a green curtain. The contrast of light and shadow enhances the spatial relationships between the figures.
History & Provenance
Originally part of the Palazzo Pallavicini Rospigliosi collection in Rome, the painting was subsequently owned by the Benson collection in London, the Hearst Corporation in New York, before its acquisition by the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lorenzo Lotto (c. 1480 – 1556/57) was an Italian Renaissance painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, traditionally placed in the Venetian school, though much of his career was spent in other north Italian cities. He…
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