Madonna and Child by Bartolomeo Coriolano

Madonna and Child c. 1630

print

toned paper

facial expression drawing

print

pencil sketch

caricature

portrait reference

pencil drawing

animal drawing portrait

portrait drawing

tattoo art

italy

portrait art

Bartolomeo Coriolano's "Madonna and Child," created around 1630, depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ child in her arms. The image is rendered in a detailed and expressive manner, characteristic of Coriolano's style, within an oval frame that emphasizes the sacredness of the subject. The radiating light emanating from behind Mary's head further underscores the divine nature of the scene, which is a common theme in Renaissance and Baroque religious art. This small but impactful print, now held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, exemplifies the devotional and spiritual significance of the Madonna and Child motif in Western art.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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The Virgin Mary was highly venerated in Counter-Reformation Italy, partly due to Protestant reformers' cries that she had become too prominent in the Church. Depictions of the Madonna were never more popular, and Ricci, in turn, promoted them in China. Guido Reni was one of the great masters of Marian imagery. His intimate portrayal of Mother and Child typifies the subject's appeal for the Chinese. It not only presented a warm, accessible vision of God, but also brought to mind the beloved Buddhist deity Kuan-yin. In fact, the Jesuits' promotion of the Madonna in China is thought to have influenced the version of Kuan-yin popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, which shows her holding an infant son.