Madonna and Child
Antonello da Messina·c. 1475
Historical Context
Antonello da Messina's Madonna and Child from around 1475 exemplifies the revolutionary synthesis of Netherlandish oil technique and Italian spatial composition that made this Sicilian painter one of the most consequential figures in Renaissance art. Antonello's mastery of oil glazing, likely learned through contact with Netherlandish works in Naples, produced images of unprecedented luminosity and solidity. His visit to Venice in 1475-76 profoundly influenced Giovanni Bellini and the course of Venetian painting.
Technical Analysis
The oil and tempera panel, transferred from its original support, demonstrates Antonello's signature fusion of Netherlandish luminous glazing with Italian spatial clarity. The smooth, imperceptible brushwork and warm, glowing flesh tones exemplify the technique that transformed Venetian painting.
Provenance
William Graham [1817-1885], London.[1] Robert Henry [1850-1929] and Evelyn Holford [1856-1943] Benson, London and Buckhurst Park, Sussex, by 1901;[2] sold 1927 to (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); sold 1 October 1928 to Clarence H. Mackay [1874-1938], Roslyn, New York;[3] sold to (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York); purchased 15 December 1936 by The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh;[4] gift 1937 to NGA. [1] Ellis Waterhouse, in a note of 22 July 1980 in NGA curatorial files, suggests that the painting may have been lot 177 (Florentine School, _Virgin and Child_, bought by Colnaghi) in the Graham sale at Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 2-3 and 8-10 April 1886, 3rd day; nos. 167 and 169 (both listed as Unknown, _Virgin and Child_) are also possible candidates. [2] Bernard Berenson, _Lorenzo Lotto: An Essay in Constructive Art Criticism_, London, 1901: 52, note 1; Tancred Borenius, "La mostra di dipinti veneziani primitive al _Burlington Fine Arts Club_," _RassA_ 12, no. 6 (June 1912): 89. [3] Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Special Collections, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Series I Business Records, New York Sales Lists 1922-1928. [4]] The original Duveen Brothers invoice is in Gallery Archives, copy in NGA curatorial files.
