Madonna and Child

Abstract

This painted stucco relief was made using a mold taken from Benedetto da Maiano's marble relief, now in the Kress Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The mold must have been adapted for reproduction, as any undercuts were eliminated and a cherub head was added in the lower left corner. The composition was particularly popular -- dozens of versions (all of the same dimensions) survive in stucco and terracotta, each customized through painting. (Here the painting is rather crude, caricaturing the figures.) Such half-length reliefs of the Madonna and Child were used for domestic devotion. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.