Madonna and Child and Worshippers
Medium
Red chalk, brush and red wash on cream paper
Dimensions
13-1/16 x 9-1/16 in. (33.2 x 23 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Cornelius Vanderbilt, 1880
Accession Number
80.3.151
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, created by an anonymous Italian artist between 1500 and 1640, captures a tender moment of devotion centered on the Madonna and Child. The composition shows the Virgin Mary holding the Christ child, surrounded by kneeling worshippers whose gestures of prayer convey deep reverence. Such scenes were immensely popular during the Renaissance and early Baroque periods, reflecting the Catholic Church’s emphasis on personal piety and the veneration of Mary as intercessor. Executed in red chalk with brush and red wash on cream paper, the work demonstrates the expressive possibil...