Virgin and Child

Francesco Squarcione's Virgin and Child, painted around 1455 and now in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, is one of the few surviving paintings securely attributed to this influential Paduan master who trained Andrea Mantegna, Carlo Crivelli, and Marco Zoppo. Squarcione ran one of the most important painting workshops in 15th-century Italy, though he was perhaps more significant as a teacher and antiquarian than as a painter. His collection of classical casts and drawings formed the training basis for his pupils.

Squarcione's painting demonstrates the hard, precise style of the Paduan school with classical decorative garlands, firm drawing, and the sculptural modeling that he transmitted to his more famous pupils.