The Virgin and Child

The small size of this painting suggests that it was made for private worship at home. Images that stressed the maternal bond between mother and son, as this one does, were often made to appeal particularly to women.

The design of the picture, where the Virgin Mary is placed against a mountainous background that is partly obscured by a dark green hanging, was popularised by Giovanni Bellini, whose workshop produced numerous images of this kind. The Virgin’s cloak falls over the ledge into the viewer’s space, a visual trick that suggests she is just within our reach.

This is an early work by the Venetian artist, Marco Basaiti. He signed it at the left edge of the marble parapet, but the bottom part of the signature was cut off when the painting’s lower edge was trimmed down before it entered the National Gallery’s collection.

Text: © The National Gallery, London

Painting photographed in its frame by Google Arts & Culture, 2023.