Virgin and Child

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

c. 1450

Desiderio da Settignano (After)
Italian, 1428-1464

Desiderio da Settignano was the most gifted Florentine sculptor of his day. He excelled at creating marble reliefs of the Virgin and Child, in which forms overlap within an extremely shallow space while conveying a profound awareness of the bond between mother and child. This painted stucco, of which at least a dozen versions are known, was cast from a marble known as the Turin Madonna (Turin, Galleria Sabauda), one of Desiderio’s most admired works. The quality of the painting and punching suggest that this stucco was finished in the workshop of Neri di Bicci, a 15th-century Florentine painter who frequently collaborated with other artists.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist: Desiderio da Settignano
Title: Virgin and Child
Place: Italy (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 1440–1460
Medium: Painted stucco
Dimensions: 61 × 43.2 cm (24 × 17 in.)
Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Gordon Palmer
Reference Number: 1985.111
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