Madonna and Child
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Authors
Giovanni Marigliano (known as Giovanni da Nola)
Date
Type
Image
Language
Keyword
Madonna , Mary , Virgin , Jesus , Christ
Alternative Title
Abstract
This painted wood sculpture of the Madonna and Child has been attributed to Giovanni Marigliano, known as Giovanni da Nola, on the basis of its similarity to known works by the artist, especially the central figures of the Madonna and Child in the altarpiece of Pietro Cavaro in Villamar in Sardegna. Not only the style but also the proportions of the figures, fall of the drapery, and gestures are similar, except that in Villamar, the Virgin's and Jesus' right hand both touch her bared right breast. Here, instead of emphasizing breastfeeding, Baby Jesus gives a traditional blessing, while Mary's right hand touches his arm, almost in support. It is possible that Nola adapted the Villamar composition to make a more conventional composition for the convent in Tito. Baby Jesus looks out while blessing, but Mary looks humbly downward. The sculpture was surely originally displayed on an altar or in another elevated location, and so to the devotee kneeling below, Mary would seem to look down benevolently. The rounded forms of mother and child and majestic sweep of drapery, along with the gently twisting poses have seemed to some scholars Raphaelesque, whereas others have pointed out the presence in Naples, when Nola was training there, of Spanish sculptors such as Diego Silòe. These photographs were taken when the work was in an exhibition at the Palazzo Lanfranchi in Matera in 2019. The work is currently housed in what was probably its original location, the convent of Sant'Antonio di Padova in Tito, in Basilicata. Photograph(s) licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Description
Sant'Antonio da Padova, Tito
Citation
Dora Catalano, Matteo Ceriana, Pierluigi Leone de Castris, and Marta Ragozzino, Il rinascimento visto dal sud: Materia, l'Italia meridionale e il Mediterraneo tra '400 e '500, exh. cat. (Matera: Palazzo Lanfranchi, 2019), cat. 9.4 p. 485.