The Christ Child Worshipped by Mary 1480 - 1524

Antonio Solario painted 'The Christ Child Worshipped by Mary' in oil on canvas, likely sometime around the turn of the 16th century. The appeal of this painting owes a lot to the materiality of oil paint, which allowed Solario to create a beautiful surface. Note the folds of Mary's drapery, and the soft, almost smoky quality of the background landscape. These effects are achieved with careful layering and blending, showing real mastery of the medium. But it is not just technical virtuosity that we see here. Oil paint was a relatively new medium at this time, still associated with craft traditions even as it was being taken up by "high" art. This gives the painting a certain earthiness, a connection to the physical world, even as it depicts a divine scene. This combination, of refined technique and material presence, is what makes this painting so compelling. It bridges the gap between the earthly and the spiritual, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.