Madonna col Bambino tra i SS. Stefano e Lucia 1489

Antoniazzo Romano painted this image of the Madonna and Child with Saints Stephen and Lucy in Rome during the late 15th century. Antoniazzo was one of the few Roman artists active at this time, when Rome's artistic scene was dominated by visiting artists from Tuscany and Umbria. The saints Stephen and Lucy flank Mary, who is tenderly holding the Christ child. Lucy, on the right, is one of the few virgin martyr saints. Notice that she is holding her attribute, her eyes, on a plate. During the Renaissance, the representation of women, particularly in religious contexts, often oscillated between the idealized virtues of motherhood embodied by the Madonna, and the purity exemplified by virgin saints. What emotional resonance do you find in these depictions of femininity? How do these idealized portrayals reflect or depart from the lived realities of women during the Renaissance?