Madonna and Child 1506 - 1512

Girolamo di Bernardino da Udine painted this ‘Madonna and Child’ sometime between 1473 and 1516. It is an oil painting. The painting offers a tender view into motherhood. Mary gazes downward with a gentle, melancholic expression, while holding the infant Christ. In Renaissance Italy, the image of the Madonna and Child was less about depicting an actual mother and child, and more about the idealization of motherhood as a sacred duty. While it may not have reflected the reality for most women, whose lives were shaped by hardship and limited opportunities, the image offered a powerful symbol. It reflected the period’s deep-seated beliefs about women's roles in society and salvation. The landscape in the background evokes the beauty of the natural world. But the painting is intimate and evokes feelings of piety, love and sacrifice. It is a reflection of the spiritual and cultural values that shaped the Renaissance.