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The Madonna and Child in Glory

The Madonna and Child in Glory

Artist: Pompeo Batoni (Italian (Rome), 1708-1787)
Date: about 1747
Dimensions:
46 1/2 x 24 in. (118 x 61 cm)
Medium: oil on canvas
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1963.5
Label Text:Displaying Pompeo Batoni’s characteristic smooth finish and luminosity of color, Madonna and Child in Glory presents the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven encircled by music-making angels. The composition also draws on the pictorial tradition of the Immaculate Conception—the belief that Mary was born free of Original Sin.

Based on a passage from the biblical book of Revelation, Batoni shows the Virgin “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Gazing heavenward, she holds the Christ Child, who uses a long staff surmounted by a crucifix to vanquish Satan, represented in the form of a fire-breathing dragon. Held in check, Satan is forced to relinquish his clutch on the orb that represents the earthly realm.

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