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The Adoration of the Child

The Adoration of the Child

Artist: Italian , Florentine School
Date: late 15th century
Dimensions:
H: 32 1/4 in. (81.8 cm); W: 29 in. (73.6 cm)
Medium: Tempera on wood panel
Place of Origin: Florence, Italy
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1930.214
Label Text:Many of the important traits of Renaissance art are featured in this painting by an unknown Florentine artist. The Virgin Mary with the Christ Child is the most popular subject of Renaissance art, and Mary adoring her divine child is a common variation (see Piero di Cosimo’s version also in this gallery).

Though depicting holy figures, the artist gives them an appealing, expressive humanity—another hallmark of Renaissance art. The carpet of plants and flowers and the landscape receding convincingly in space reflect Renaissance interest in the natural world. The artist proudly displays Florentine Renaissance architecture—adapted from classical Roman models—in the rounded arch and flat pilasters (columns attached to the end of a supporting pier). The frame, though imitating Renaissance forms, is not original.
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