ARTWORKS

Madonna of the Meadow

Giovanni Bellini (1431/1436–1516)

The National Gallery, London

Madonna of the Meadow

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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The Virgin Mary adores the Christ Child sleeping on her lap. Giovanni Bellini was one of the first Italian painters to use natural settings to enhance the meaning of his pictures. Here, the still Virgin contrasts with the landscape, where the varying shapes of the clouds, from thin and wispy to fat and fluffy, and the shadows on them give the impression of changeable weather. The clarity of the light, which casts a pale glow on everything it touches, from the Virgin’s right sleeve to the walls of the castle in the distance, suggests it is springtime.

Christ’s pose would have reminded contemporary viewers of a type of picture known as the Lamentation, or pietà, which showed Christ after his death lying across his mother’s knees. And yet the carefully observed landscape evokes hopefulness: spring is a time of renewal in nature and of Easter, the moment of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

Madonna of the Meadow

Date

about 1500

Medium

Oil and egg on synthetic panel, transferred from wood

Measurements

H 67.3 x W 86.4 cm

Accession number

NG599

Acquisition method

Bought, 1858

Work type

Painting

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Normally on display at

The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Giovanni Bellini

1431/1436–1516

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