Madonna and Child (Madonna col Bambino)

Madonna and Child (Madonna col Bambino)

Bartolomeo Vivarini was born in 1432 in Venice and was an avid painter for nearly 50 years. One of his most prominent paintings, Madonna and Child, is shown here. It was apart of our virtual tour of the Correr Museum. This painting represents the current trends in Venice during the period. In Florence we are familiar with the competitive, individualistic painting styles. This painting, however, demonstrated the family workshop dynamic of the Vivarini’s in Venice. The painting is clearly religious in nature due to the portrayal of baby Jesus enthroned. The background of the painting is gold leaf, which is very Byzantine in nature. The use of the stippling with the halos above Jesus and Madonna gives this painting more pop by adding a 3D effect. I also find the red and black colors schemes very interesting. Typically red represents war, power, bloodshed, etc and the color black usually refers to death and trauma. It is interesting to see these colors merged, especially with such religious figures such as Madonna and child, which makes me curious if Vivarini for potentially alluding to some sort of religious conflict or violence, Additionally, Jesus has a Contrapposto stance, which is typically reserved for leaders, especially those addressing their troops during battle. This may serve as a representation for how much power the Venetian people put into religion. Overall, Bartolomeo succeeded in infusing into the picture a tender and reposeful sentiment which gives it great charm; and in its beautiful old frame it has something of the effect of a stained glass in a Gothic cathedral.

Bartolomeo Vivarini

Scholarly Article:

Borenius, Tancred. "Three Paintings by Bartolomeo Vivarini." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 19, no. 100 (1911): 192-98. Accessed September 15, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/858767.

Image and original data provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation: http://www.kressfoundation.org/
Iconographical subjects provided by the J. Paul Getty Trust's Provenance Index Database: http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/provenance_index

Mid 15th Century (1465–1470)

Jared Kreis

Bartolomeo Vivarini (Bartolomeo da Murano), Italian, c. 1432-1499. c. 1475. Madonna and Child. Painting. Place: Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA. https://library.artstor.org/asset/AKRESS_10312336627.

50.2 x 41.9 centimeters

Egg tempera on wood panel. Also uses gold leaf.

Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA