Madonna and Child 1512 - 1517

Cima da Conegliano painted this Madonna and Child on panel in the late fifteenth, early sixteenth century, during the Italian Renaissance. Paintings such as this one were common in Venice at the time, often commissioned by wealthy families for private devotion in the home. Religious images served an important public function. They offered a point of connection between the earthly and the divine. Note the naturalistic detail, reflecting Renaissance humanism and its focus on human experience. The artist skillfully uses colour and light to create a sense of depth, drawing the viewer into a serene, idealized world. The careful depiction of the Virgin Mary's garments would reflect the status of the patron who commissioned it. The visual codes are rich with cultural and historical meaning, as seen in the Madonna, swathed in blue which symbolises purity, and the Christ child, representing innocence and divine blessing. To fully understand this painting, it would be useful to research the economic conditions that shaped artistic production in Renaissance Venice. Understanding the role played by religious brotherhoods would also be helpful, as would research into how art was displayed in the domestic interior.