Madonna with child

Correggio's Madonna with Child, now in the Galleria Estense in Modena, dates to around 1517 and shows his developing synthesis of Leonardesque sfumato with a distinctly Emilian warmth and tenderness. The small devotional format was in constant demand among Italian patrons for private worship The Madonna and Child was the most ubiquitous devotional subject of medieval and Renaissance art, present in every church and many private homes as a focus for prayer and spiritual contemplation.

Soft modeling and warm, golden tones create an intimate devotional atmosphere, with the Madonna's gentle expression and the Child's naturalistic pose demonstrating Correggio's gift for humanizing sacred subjects.