Madonna and Child

Abstract

This Madonna and Child (currently in the Pinacoteca Civica, Volterra) is one of many made for domestic devotion in the fifteenth century, some of which were reproduced with molds, as is this example. It is made out of stucco, a classical medium, discussed in Pliny and revived in the Renaissance. The composition on which this sculpture was based is known from other examples, in which the composition is half-length, cut off just below the elbows, so that the baby pushes off from the surface on which the sculpture sits. In this 3/4 length version of the subject, the baby seems to float in space. The type of the Madonna and Child, their faces nestled close to each other in a tight embrace, derives from Byzantine icons. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.