Madonna and Child with Saint Peter Martyr 1503

Lorenzo Lotto’s "Madonna and Child with Saint Peter Martyr" (1503) is a small-scale oil painting on panel, depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child. She sits on a red cloth draped over a ledge, surrounded by a landscape that recedes into the distance. To her right, Saint Peter Martyr, the Dominican friar, is rendered in a dramatic pose, his gaze fixed on the Virgin and Child. The painting is a characteristic example of Lotto’s early style, which combined elements of the Venetian Renaissance with his own individualistic approach to portraiture. The figures are presented with great naturalism and psychological depth, while the landscape setting provides a sense of realism and immediacy.