Virgin and Child Attended by Angels 1457 - 1504

Filippino Lippi made this pen and brown ink drawing, Virgin and Child Attended by Angels, in Florence, Italy, sometime in the late 15th century. It’s a devotional image, surely, but its real subject may be the institutions that commissioned and displayed such works. Lippi's drawing reflects the artistic conventions of Renaissance Florence, with its emphasis on classical forms. Yet, the image also comments on the social structures of its time. The idealized beauty of the Virgin Mary, the cherubic innocence of the angels, and the careful rendering of drapery all speak to the era’s values and beliefs. The Catholic Church was a major patron of the arts, and this drawing may have been created for a wealthy family or religious order. Religious art served a public role, reinforcing social hierarchies. As historians, we study the social conditions that shaped artistic production. Art is contingent on its social and institutional context. Studying patronage records, religious texts, and social histories can help us better understand the meaning of art in its own time.