The Madonna Adoring the Child, with an Angel
early 16th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, traces of white, over red chalk underdrawing of the Madonna.
Dimensions
9 1/2 x 7 3/16 in. (24.2 x 18.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.371
Tags
Art Historical Context
Lorenzo di Credi’s “The Madonna Adoring the Child, with an Angel” presents a quiet, devotional scene typical of early 16th-century Italian religious imagery. The drawing captures the Virgin Mary gazing tenderly at the Christ Child, by a single angel, emphasizing themes of maternal love and divine grace that were central to Renaissance piety. Created as a study rather than a finished painting, the work reflects the period’s growing appreciation for drawings as independent expressions of an artist’s skill. Executed in pen and brown ink with traces of white heightening over red chalk underdrawin...