Maria with the child (Verrocchio)
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| Mary with the child |
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| Andrea del Verrocchio , ca.1470 |
| Tempera on poplar wood |
| 75.8 x 54.6 cm |
| Gemäldegalerie Berlin |
Maria with the Child (Madonna col Bambino) is probably a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea del Verrocchio and was created around 1470. It is now in Room XVIII of the Italian Early Renaissance in the Gemäldegalerie Berlin .
technology
The picture is painted in tempera on poplar wood , partly with oil paint or a mixture of oil paint with varnish , but unfinished. In the shaded areas of the skin, the brownish foundation shines through the thin layer of pigments.
Provenance and picture history
The history of origin of the picture can only be traced from 1873, when the museum acquired it from the collection of Prince Jerôme Napoleon in Florence . The purchase took place through the art dealer Auguste Riblet. Since then it has been in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie.
Collaboration with other artists
Verrocchio was a sculptor and painter and mostly created sculptures. With his sculptural masterpieces such as the equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni in Venice and the statue of the incredulous Thomas on Orsanmichele in Florence , he was considered the leading sculptor of his time. With the limited number of his paintings, it is difficult to separate hands between him and his possible pupil. Lorenzo di Credi , Domenico Ghirlandaio , Perugino and Leonardo da Vinci can be considered as students or at least collaborators in his works . Only the Berlin Madonna picture is predominantly considered to be the master's handwritten work.
However, this is not considered certain. Only the origin from Verrocchio's workshop is clear:
"While we are certain that the work was made in Verrocchio's workshop, the scholars are still arguing whether it can be ascribed to the master himself or to one of his many assistants."
Verrocchio was inspired by Antonio del Pollaiuolo in the pronounced spatiality, rhythmic lines and strong plasticity of the picture . The 1476 Madonna with the Carnation by Leonardo da Vinci in the Alte Pinakothek shows similarities with this picture by his teacher Verrocchio .
Image description
The small devotional picture shows a half-length Madonna. It is one of Verrochio's early paintings, which are based on his Madonna reliefs. From this, the Berlin Madonna picture is attributed to Verrocchio for stylistic reasons, because of the picture concept and the outstanding painting style.
Mary, depicted up to her knees, is seated in a rocky landscape. The motif of the baby Jesus stretching his arms towards his mother is known from Verrocchi's plastic work. In this painting the baby Jesus is sitting on her lap and is painted in a restless movement. The shape of Mary's head, her high, round forehead, are reminiscent of portraits of women Filippo Lippi , Verrocchio's possible teacher. When working out the head of the Madonna, Verrocchio uses his typical smile that spreads gracefully from the fine corners of the mouth. Careful and courageous overlaps and foreshortening give the child its buxom and full figure. The details are very finely painted. In the execution of the fine-meshed veil, which hangs down to the child's feet, the hems on the cherry-red robe, the pattern on the brocade sleeves with their lacing, and the decorations of the halo of the Madonna, you can see the skilled artisan. The bright metallic shimmering colors, especially the cold light blue of the coat lining convey a coolness like in the pictures of Antonio and Piero del Pollaiuolo . An oriental shawl is wound around the child's body as a loincloth. The ugly nails that are often held up are also found in Botticelli and Pollaiuoli.
In places, especially at the edges, the picture has been heavily restored.
literature
- Dario A. Covi: Andrea del Verrocchio. Life and work. Leo S. Olschki Florence, 2005, ISBN 978-88-222-5420-7 .
- Hans Mackowsky : Verrocchio. Bielefeld, 1901, p. 80.
- Hannelore Vorteilmann in: Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Prestel-Verlag Munich, 1998, ISBN 3-7913-1911-6 , p. 121.
- Franziska Windt: Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci: collaboration in sculpture and painting . Rhema, Münster 2003, ISBN 3-930454-39-4
Web links
- The picture on the Gemäldegalerie website
- National Gallery of Art: Andrea del Verrocchio
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Dario A. Covi: Andrea del Verrocchio: Life and work . Leo S. Olschki , Florence 2005, ISBN 978-88-222-5420-7 , p. 189 (English).
- ^ A b Dario A. Covi: Andrea del Verrocchio: Life and work . Leo S. Olschki , Florence 2005, ISBN 978-88-222-5420-7 , p. 188 (English).
- ^ A b Neville Rowley: Mary with the child. In: SMB Digital. Retrieved July 15, 2020 .
- ↑ a b National Gallery of Art: Andrea del Verrocchio