The enthroned Madonna with Saints Jerome and John the Baptist and a kneeling Carthusian monk. At left Mary sits on a throne with the Christ Child on her lap, and the child holds an open book on his lap and a rosary in his outstretched hand. Beside them stand Saint Jerome and Saint John the Baptist,
Mary kneels in adoration before the Christ Child, who stretches out his arms to his mother. One angel supports the child's head while another lays his hands on the shoulders of the young John the Baptist. At right, under the lean-to of the stable, Joseph kneels. Medium: Oil on panel. Measurements:
The Virgin Mary in a red veil holds the Christ Child on her lap while an angel holding a lily looks on, painted by the Veronese artist Paolo Morando, known as Cavazzola (1486-1522).
Although Gherardo Starnina is regarded as one of the most important painters of his time in Florence, little is known about him. He probably studied with a well-regarded Florentine painter who made numerous frescoes. He is claimed to have participated in the painting of the frescoes in the Castellan
Bernardino di Betto, called Pinturicchio, is said to have acquired his nickname ("little painter") because of his small stature, and used it to sign some of his paintings. Born in Perugia, the provincial capital of Umbria, he trained under local artists, eventually becoming a paid assistant of the p
Among the first northern European artists to study in Rome, Gossaert returned north to serve in various German and Flemish courts, incorporating Italian Renaissance ideas. Gossaert also painted the frame, including the Latin inscription: "Mother, may your contemplation be our reconciliation." The pa
This image of Madonna with the Christ Child on her lap has been extensively altered by restoration. During the Renaissance, it was important that the Christ Child's genitalia be exposed, for it declared that Christ is the humanization of God, that he experienced temptation, and that in his exposure,
Rather than depicting a single moment in time, this gold-ground painting symbolically encapsulates Christ. Seated on a rich throne, the monumental Virgin holds the Christ child. Above, the risen Christ is seen in heaven holding a book, inscribed with the alpha and omega, the first and last letters o
Formerly ascribed to the French painter Simon Vouet (1590-1649), Rest on the Flight into Egypt has only recently been attributed to Poërson, a collaborator and follower of Vouet. Intended to be a small devotional picture, this painting on oak panel depicts a quiet scene of the Holy Family resting; t
David depicts the birth of Christ as a scene running continuously across three panels. However, the kneeling donors, introduced by the standing Saints Jerome and Leonard, are kept distinct from the central sacred event. A later owner converted the original couple's donor portraits into Saints Anthon
This painting is a rare surviving example of distemper, a water-based medium, on canvas. The artist was active both in his native Ghent, in modern Belgium, and at the refined court in Urbino, Italy. The Adoration takes place on an unusually grand porch with ancient Roman architecture and domestic dw
On the eve of the Battle of Montaperti in 1260, the Tuscan town of Siena was dedicated to the Virgin; Siena's miraculous victory the following day confirmed its status as the "City of the Virgin" and inspired fervent devotion among its citizens. Marian imagery flourished, and many altarpieces compri
This resplendent and well-preserved panel portrays the Virgin handing the Christ Child a pomegranate, a symbol of the Resurrection. The painting may once have belonged to Pope Pius II Piccolomini, whose coat of arms is said to have formerly appeared on the back of the panel.
This tempera-on-panel painting depicts the twelve-year-old Jesus found teaching among the doctors in the Temple, an episode from the Gospel of Luke and one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. It forms part of the main altarpiece of the Church of San Salvador in Ejea de los Caballeros, Spain, pain
This painting depicts the twelve-year-old Jesus found teaching among the doctors in the Temple at Jerusalem, an episode from the Gospel of Luke and one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. It hangs in the Unionskirche in Idstein, Germany, and is attributed to the German draftsman and printmaker Jo
This small relief of the Nativity, carved from walrus ivory with traces of red polychromy, dates from around 1180. It measures only about 8.9 x 7.3 cm and is an early example of Romanesque devotional carving.
This sculpture of the Nativity, attributed to Hans Kamensetzer around 1470, shows the painstaking, calligraphic rendering of figures associated with the style of the Dutch sculptor Nicolaas Gerhaert van Leyden, known for the grace and spatial coherence of his work.
This engraving shows the shepherds kneeling before the newborn Christ at his birth in Bethlehem. It is by the Dutch engraver Cornelis Bloemaert, a member of a prominent family of printmakers who worked in Utrecht and later in Rome.
This painting shows the Magi presenting their gifts to the infant Christ. It is by the Venetian painter Jacopo Palma il Giovane, who became Venice's leading painter after the death of Tintoretto in 1594 and produced many religious works for the city's churches and confraternities.
This painting shows the Virgin Mary and the infant Christ set before a landscape. It is by the Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Antonio Sogliani, who was active mainly in Florence and trained in the workshop of Lorenzo di Credi.
This oil painting, made in the late 1520s by the Ferrarese painter L'Ortolano (Giovanni Battista Benvenuti), depicts the shepherds kneeling before the infant Christ at his birth. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This gouache is part of James Tissot's series The Life of Christ, painted between 1886 and 1894. It depicts the boy Jesus seated among the teachers in the Temple, discoursing with them. The work is held in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum.
Icon of the Adoration of the Magi from the middle of the 17th century, from the Sambir region of Ukraine. It is in a private collection.
Icon of the Adoration of the Magi from the middle of the 16th century, from the village of Busovysko. It is held in the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv, Ukraine.
