Madonna and Child Seated on a Cloud
17th century
Medium
Black chalk and brown wash
Dimensions
5 3/4 x 6 7/8 in. (14.6 x 17.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.978
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Robert Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, *Madonna and Child Seated on a Cloud* is a delicate 17th-century drawing in black chalk and brown wash. Measuring just 5 3/4 x 6 7/8 inches, this intimate work captures the timeless Christian iconography of the Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus atop a billowing cloud, evoking a sense of divine serenity and maternal tenderness. Created during the Baroque era, when religious art flourished amid the Counter-Reformation, the piece exemplifies the devotional themes popular in European workshops. The unknown artist's use...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...