The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2024

Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors

Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors

c. 1515
(Italian, c. 1459–1518)
Framed: 103 x 125 x 16 cm (40 9/16 x 49 3/16 x 6 5/16 in.); Unframed: 56 x 78.8 cm (22 1/16 x 31 in.)

Did You Know?

The two figures who kneel with their hands clasped are likely the donors who commissioned this painting.

Description

This work reinterprets the most common subject in Renaissance art—the Madonna and Child. The tender relationship of mother and son spoke to Mary’s role as intercessor for humanity, sparked an empathetic relationship with Christ, and helped invest Christian practice with tenderness and compassion. Works at this scale were usually for private devotion, but distinct styles and refined craftsmanship were also appreciated for their artistry and creativity. Here the donors occupy the same landscape as the holy figures, emphasizing how Mary’s compassion extends into our world. This painting was never finished, visible in Saint Anthony Abbot’s beard and the female saint’s empty hand, which makes her identity impossible to pin down.
  • Humfrey, Peter. Cima Da Conegliano. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire]: Cambridge University Press, 1983. 93
    Menegazzi, Luigi. Cima da Conegliano. Treviso: Canova, 1981. 139-140
    Giovanni Carlo Federico Villa. Cima da Conegliano: poeta del paesaggio. Venezia: Marsilio, 2010. 18-19
    Catalogue of the John L. Severance Collection: Bequest of John L. Severance, 1936. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1942. Reproduced: p. [14], Plate IV, cat. no. 2; Mention: p. 21, cat. no. 2 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 412 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 88 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 88 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 102 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Reproduced: p. 332; Mentioned: p. 333
    Nieto Fernández, Luis. The painted parapet: structure and symbolism/El parapeto pintado: estructura y simbolismo. Madrid: Rayxart Investigación, 2017. Reproduced: p. 106, fig. 150; Mention: p. 296
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Sketchbook: Michelangelo: Mind of the Master. Cleveland Museum of Art; Cleveland, Ohio, 2019. Reproduced: P. 10
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of the Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the Cleveland Museum of Art: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition: June Twenty-Sixth to October Fourth 1936. [Cleveland, Ohio]: [Cleveland Museum of Art], 1936. 53
  • Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1936, no. 119.
    Exhibition of the John L. Severance Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 12, 1942-March 14, 1943).
  • {{cite web|title=Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors|url=false|author=Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano, Workshop|year=c. 1515|access-date=25 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.636