Madonna and Child c. 1480 - 1485

Giovanni Bellini’s “Madonna and Child” presents us with a painted rendering of the Virgin Mary and infant Jesus. Made in Venice in the late 15th or early 16th century, this oil on wood artwork reflects the period’s religious devotion and emerging humanism. Bellini’s painting would have satisfied a demand for devotional images. But it also served as a symbol of the patron’s wealth and piety. The “Madonna and Child” encapsulates Venice’s unique cultural position as a trading hub and a devout Catholic state. Bellini’s use of color and light, together with his rendering of human emotion, departs from earlier Byzantine-influenced styles. It reveals an awareness of artistic developments across the Italian peninsula. As historians, we can trace Bellini’s career through archival records, workshop inventories, and critical writings. These resources help us contextualize the “Madonna and Child” within the institutional history of Venetian art. Ultimately, the painting's meaning remains contingent on the social and cultural contexts in which it was both created and viewed.