The “Madonna col Bambino” (Madonna with Child) was painted by the renowned artist Andrea Mantegna around 1475, just after he had completed the famous Camera degli Sposi, or Wedding Chamber, in Mantua.
The work is part of a group of small paintings featuring the Madonna with Child that Mantegna had produced for private customers and not for places of worship.
The two figures in the foreground seem to be in relief, and the atmosphere appears fraught with apprehension: although in a fond embrace, you will notice that the two figures are not looking at each other. The Mother seems to be imagining the future that awaits her Child, and the sorrowful expression of the Child appears to indicate an awareness of his painful destiny; the coral bracelet on his wrist is a symbol of the Passion of Christ.
Take a moment to observe the result of the tempera technique used by Mantegna, featuring a magnificent lapis lazuli blue obtained by grinding the precious mineral from Afghanistan.
