The Madonna of the Basket 

Correggio painted "The Madonna of the Basket" sometime in the 16th century in Italy, during the High Renaissance. This was a time of renewed interest in classical art and learning, but also a period of intense religious devotion and patronage. Correggio’s painting shows the Virgin Mary gazing tenderly at the infant Jesus, with Joseph working in the background. The ‘basket’ refers to the container on the lower left of the painting. Images of the Holy Family were extremely popular then, as the Catholic Church promoted family values and traditions. Artists often received commissions from wealthy families or religious institutions, who would use the artwork to display their piety and status. Correggio’s unique contribution was to imbue the scene with a tender, human quality, that would appeal to the emotions of the viewer. To understand this painting better, we could look at the history of religious patronage, the role of the Catholic Church in shaping artistic production, and the visual codes used to convey religious meaning.