The Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Anthony Abbot and a Donor 1515 - 1519

Girolamo Romanino made this red chalk drawing of the Madonna and Child with Saints Francis and Anthony Abbot and a Donor at an unknown date. Drawings like this one were often preparatory studies for larger paintings. Romanino was active in Brescia and Venice, and this work speaks to the important place of the Catholic Church in the social and cultural life of the Italian Renaissance. Look at how the artist arranges his figures, with the Virgin Mary at the center of the composition, surrounded by male saints and a donor, who is likely the patron who commissioned the work. The hierarchy of figures reflects the hierarchical values of the culture. What is the public role of religious imagery like this? The historian can study drawings like this to gain a richer understanding of artistic production and institutional history. We can study letters, contracts and other archival documents to better understand the work that went into making artworks like this. What can art tell us about the politics of imagery?