Madonna with Writing Child and Bishop
Encyclopedia
The Madonna with Writing Child and Bishop is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Pinturicchio
, painted around 1495 and housed in the Museu de Belles Arts
of Valencia, Spain.
The work was painted in Rome
, when Pinturicchio was the favorite painter of Pope Alexander VII. The pope's cousin and treasure, Francisco Borgia, commissioned him a work to send to the family's chapel in the Collegiate of Xàtiva
, in Spain, perhaps to celebrated his appointment as bishop of Teano (1495). The painting was considered for long as the work of the artist's collaborators, due to the presence of 19th century repainting and yellowing: however, later restoration showed the delicate quality of the work and the sumptuousness of the style, typical of Pinturicchio.
The painting is derived from the Madonna with Writing Child
(c. 1494-1498), which also shows the child in philosoper's garments standing on a stool (with the Borgia coat of arms) writing on a book which the Virgin is giving to him. This work adds the portrait of the commissioner, painted in profile, kneeling on the right, a position already used by Pinturicchio in the Madonna of the Peace (c. 1490). Jesus wears a dalmatic
and a pallium
, perhaps inspired by local late Antique and medieval mosaics
, different from the thin veils which were typical of the contemporary Umbrian and Tuscan school.
The use of an Gothic golden background and the flowers were adaptations to the taste of the commissioner. The small birds are symbols of the Passion of Christ.
Pinturicchio
Bernardino di Betto, called Pintoricchio or Pinturicchio was an Italian painter of the Renaissance. He acquired his nickname, Pintoricchio , because of his small stature, and he used it to sign some of his works....
, painted around 1495 and housed in the Museu de Belles Arts
Museu de Belles Arts de València
The Museu de Belles Arts de València is an art gallery in Valencia, Spain, founded in 1913. It houses some 2,000 works, most dating from the 14th-17th centuries, including a Self portrait of Diego Velázquez, a St...
of Valencia, Spain.
The work was painted in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, when Pinturicchio was the favorite painter of Pope Alexander VII. The pope's cousin and treasure, Francisco Borgia, commissioned him a work to send to the family's chapel in the Collegiate of Xàtiva
Xàtiva
Xàtiva is a town in eastern Spain, in the province of Valencia, on the right bank of the river Albaida and at the junction of the Valencia–Murcia and Valencia Albacete railways....
, in Spain, perhaps to celebrated his appointment as bishop of Teano (1495). The painting was considered for long as the work of the artist's collaborators, due to the presence of 19th century repainting and yellowing: however, later restoration showed the delicate quality of the work and the sumptuousness of the style, typical of Pinturicchio.
The painting is derived from the Madonna with Writing Child
Madonna with Writing Child
The Madonna with Writing Child is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Pinturicchio, painted around 1494-1498 and housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in the United States....
(c. 1494-1498), which also shows the child in philosoper's garments standing on a stool (with the Borgia coat of arms) writing on a book which the Virgin is giving to him. This work adds the portrait of the commissioner, painted in profile, kneeling on the right, a position already used by Pinturicchio in the Madonna of the Peace (c. 1490). Jesus wears a dalmatic
Dalmatic
The dalmatic is a long wide-sleeved tunic, which serves as a liturgical vestment in the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and United Methodist Churches, which is sometimes worn by a deacon at the Mass or other services. Although infrequent, it may also be worn by bishops above the alb and below...
and a pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
, perhaps inspired by local late Antique and medieval mosaics
Late Antique and medieval mosaics in Italy
Italy has the richest concentration of Late Antique and medieval mosaics in the world. Although the technique is especially associated with Byzantine art, and many Italian mosaics were probably made by imported Greek-speaking artists and craftsmen, the numbers of significant mosaics remaining in...
, different from the thin veils which were typical of the contemporary Umbrian and Tuscan school.
The use of an Gothic golden background and the flowers were adaptations to the taste of the commissioner. The small birds are symbols of the Passion of Christ.