Virgin and Child

Fiorenzo di Lorenzo was one of the leading painters in late fifteenth-century Perugia, working alongside Perugino and Pinturicchio in the Umbrian school that would profoundly influence Raphael. This Virgin and Child from around 1500 demonstrates the gentle, devotional style of Umbrian painting — soft modeling, luminous colors, and serene expressions — that became the foundation for Raphael's revolutionary art.

The tempera and gold on wood shows the characteristic Umbrian combination of gentle sfumato modeling with gold-ground decoration. The tender, contemplative mood and refined coloring demonstrate the devotional sensitivity of the Perugian school.