Madonna met kind 1618 - 1655

Cornelis Schut made this small, but captivating etching, Madonna and Child, sometime in the first half of the 17th century. We see Mary offering grapes to the infant Christ. Grapes have a symbolic meaning in Christian art. They represent the blood of Christ, alluding to his future sacrifice. Schut was working in Antwerp, a major center of the Counter-Reformation. The Catholic Church was a major patron of the arts, promoting images that reinforced its doctrines and inspired religious devotion. The etching would have served as a powerful symbol of faith and a reminder of the Church's teachings. As art historians, we delve into the cultural context, theological symbolism, and artistic conventions of the time. This helps us understand how artworks like Schut's Madonna and Child functioned within the society that produced them, and what their reception might have been.