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Pietro Perugino

Madonna and Child
Now On View

Maker

Circle of Pietro Perugino (Italian, ca. 1450-1523), artist

Title

Madonna and Child

Year

ca. 1490

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

tempera

Supports

Dimensions

57.5 x 39.1 cm (22 5/8 x 15 3/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signature

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Manton B. Metcalf

Object Number

16.236

Type

Provenance

Purchased by Manton B. Metcalf for the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, at American Art Galleries, NY, sale "Art Treasures and Antiquities from the Famous Davanzati Palace," November 21-27, 1916. It appears in the sale catalogue, no. 1002, Bernardino di Betto (Pinturicchio), Madonna and Child, not illustrated. 1916.
Collection of Elia Volpi, Florence, by 1916.

Exhibition History

European Galleries
Sep 02, 2017

Label copy

In this tender image of a mother and child, Mary holds her son Jesus in her lap. Raising one hand in blessing, the infant holds an apple in the other. In Catholic theology Mary represents the New Eve, helping to redeem humankind from the stain of Eve’s original sin. 

Mary’s halo signifies holiness, but she wears simple robes adorned only with embroidered edges. Emphasizing her humility, she is seated in a natural landscape—not on a throne or against a gold background. Her gentle gaze invites the viewer to engage directly in private devotion. 

Image use

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Tombstone

Circle of Pietro Perugino (Italian, ca. 1450-1523), artist
Madonna and Child, ca. 1490
Tempera
57.5 x 39.1 cm (22 5/8 x 15 3/8 inches)
Gift of Manton B. Metcalf 16.236

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