The Virgin and Child Surrounded by Little Angels in the Clouds
ca. 1590
Medium
Pen and brown ink and gray wash with white heightening
Dimensions
Overall: 4 3/4 x 3 3/8 in. (12 x 8.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Sally and Howard Lepow Gift, 2001
Accession Number
2001.283
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, Sustris crafted this delicate drawing, *The Virgin and Childrounded by Little Angels in Clouds* (ca. 1590), exemplifying the Mannerist style that bridged Renaissance harmony with more elongated, ethereal forms. Sustris, a German artist trained in Italy and active in the Munich court, in intricate religious scenes that blended Italianate grace with Northern precision. This intimate work captures the tender Madonna cradling the Christ Child amid a swirling host of cherubic angels, a popular motif during the Counter-Reformation era when such images reinforced devotion an...