Virgin Adoring the Christ Child

sculptor Matteo di Giovanni Civitali (Lucca, Italy, 1436 - 1501, Lucca, Italy)

Dateabout 1480

Place MadeLucca, Tuscany, Italy, Europe

MediumPolychromed and gilded terracotta

Dimensions99 x 103 x 38 cm (39 x 40 9/16 x 14 15/16 in.)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Accession numberS27n4

Status

Not on view

Web CommentaryThese three-dimensional, completely painted figures must have been startling in their believability. The tenderness of the Virgin Mary’s face is matched by her graceful gesture of prayer. Moreover, the infant Christ echoes this act of devotion and love. The interaction between the Virgin and Christ Child not only has religious meaning, but also provides a model for harmonious family life. The early 15th-century Florentine theologian Fra Giovanni Dominici recommended that images of the Virgin and Child be placed in children’s rooms to provide examples of proper behavior. The American painter Joseph Lindon Smith brought this work to Isabella Gardner’s attention in 1902. She competed with Wilhelm Bode, director of the Berlin museums and another collector of Renaissance art, to obtain it.

Id724028

Last Updated8/22/24

EmbARK ObjectID12451

Source ID1571