Madonna del Prato (Bellini)
Encyclopedia
The Madonna del Prato is a 1505 painting of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child by Giovanni Bellini
, now in the National Gallery in London
. Originally painted as oil and egg tempera on wood, it has since been transferred to canvas, with damage in places.
It presents a medieval iconography of the Virgin of humility seated before a full and shining rural panorama, with both the devotional aspect and the landscape aspect given equal prominence. Full of small details of everyday life, this landscape contributes to the intimate and familiar tone of the two figures. . The vulture in the tree also possibly symbolises death. The figures' poses invite meditation on Jesus's death and passion, recalling Pietà
compositions with the dead adult Jesus in his mother's lap.
Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
, now in the National Gallery in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Originally painted as oil and egg tempera on wood, it has since been transferred to canvas, with damage in places.
It presents a medieval iconography of the Virgin of humility seated before a full and shining rural panorama, with both the devotional aspect and the landscape aspect given equal prominence. Full of small details of everyday life, this landscape contributes to the intimate and familiar tone of the two figures. . The vulture in the tree also possibly symbolises death. The figures' poses invite meditation on Jesus's death and passion, recalling Pietà
Pietà
The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture. As such, it is a particular form of the Lamentation of Christ, a scene from the Passion of Christ found in cycles of the Life of Christ...
compositions with the dead adult Jesus in his mother's lap.