Madonna and Child 1450

Jacopo Bellini painted this ‘Madonna and Child’ in the mid-fifteenth century, a period of great change in Italian art. Bellini was working in Venice, a wealthy mercantile republic with close ties to the East. The image reflects the prevailing artistic conventions of its time, like the use of tempera on panel, and the iconic depiction of religious figures. The Madonna and Child was a popular subject for art in this period, reflecting the importance of the family in Venetian society. At the time, the Church was a major patron of the arts and religious imagery was used to promote its doctrines. Bellini would have also sought commissions from wealthy families. Historical research into Venice’s social fabric and artistic patronage helps us understand how images like this one operated within a specific culture and institutional setting.