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Source Description

Probably intended for private devotion in a domestic interior, this painting shows the Madonna supporting the Christ Child on her knee as he raises his hand in a gesture of blessing. Behind, a deep green curtain, serving as a casual substitute for the traditional "cloth of honor," is pulled aside to reveal a light blue sky. The figures are copied from a composition by the prominent Venetian artist Cima da Conegliano (ca. 1459-1517/19). Known from two surviving versions (now in the museums of Düsseldorf, Germany, and Avignon, France), Cima's composition is wider than the Walters’ panel and includes the figures of Saints John the Baptist and Francis of Assisi flanking the Madonna. The Walters' panel may be a fragment from a similarly shaped painting, thereby explaining the Madonna and Christ's focused gazes outside of the picture field.Little is known about Girolamo da Udine. The only signed painting by him that is known today is a large altarpiece of the “Coronation of the Virgin” at the Civic Museum in his hometown of Udine, near Venice. Like the Walters’ painting, the style of this work is strongly indebted to Cima, suggesting that Girolamo was one of that artist’s many pupils.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
4271
label
Madonna and Child
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
4271
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Madonna and Child
description
Probably intended for private devotion in a domestic interior, this painting shows the Madonna supporting the Christ Child on her knee as he raises his hand in a gesture of blessing. Behind, a deep green curtain, serving as a casual substitute for the traditional "cloth of honor," is pulled aside to reveal a light blue sky. The figures are copied from a composition by the prominent Venetian artist Cima da Conegliano (ca. 1459-1517/19). Known from two surviving versions (now in the museums of Düsseldorf, Germany, and Avignon, France), Cima's composition is wider than the Walters’ panel and includes the figures of Saints John the Baptist and Francis of Assisi flanking the Madonna. The Walters' panel may be a fragment from a similarly shaped painting, thereby explaining the Madonna and Christ's focused gazes outside of the picture field.Little is known about Girolamo da Udine. The only signed painting by him that is known today is a large altarpiece of the “Coronation of the Virgin” at the Civic Museum in his hometown of Udine, near Venice. Like the Walters’ painting, the style of this work is strongly indebted to Cima, suggesting that Girolamo was one of that artist’s many pupils.
provenance
Private collection, Florence [possibly Berenson collection]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1911 [mode of acquisition unknown] [through Berenson]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
early 16th century (Renaissance)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
oil paintings (visual works)
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
53.3
height
44
depth
0.7
dimensionsRaw
Painted surface H including modern strip added along left side: 21 x W: 17 5/16 x Approx. D: 1/4 in. (53.3 x 44 x 0.7 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Label] On reverse: Ufficio Esportazione
4 Mar 1911
Firenze
med
oil on wood panel
creator_ids
3283
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
13993e1e0e134f18