Madonna and Child with Five Angels

Giovanni Baronzio

National Gallery of Art

A woman holding a baby sits on a throne in front of a cloth held up by five winged angels in this vertical painting. The woman, baby, and angels all have pale skin tinged with gray, long, straight noses, narrow mouths, almond-shaped eyes, and gold halos. The woman sits with her knees and shoulders squared to us. She looks at us with light brown eyes, and her head tips slightly to the right, toward the baby. A white veil drapes over her head and shoulders, and she wears a slate-blue dress under a teal-green robe, which is lined with pale, spring green. Gold lines densely spaced across the dress and robe suggest folds and wrinkles. She supports the baby’s bottom with her left hand, to our right. He sits upright with his knees and body angled to our left. He reaches up with his right hand, to our left, to touch the woman’s veil, and the other hand rests on an oversized cricket in his lap. He wears a transparent white garment edged with gold and a marigold yellow and coral orange cloth wrapped across his lap over bare feet. His features are small in a round face. He has brown hair, and his hairline is high. The cloth behind the pair is patterned with gray, brick red, and gold. Two angels hold up each long side and one holds up the top. The angels all look in or down. They have brown hair, and wings and robes in shades of golden yellow, pale peach, and celestial blue. The throne has a blocky seat, and the base projects in a semicircle against the navy-blue floor. There are lion finials at the front of each arm. The background is gilded with a leafy pattern in gleaming gold. The upper corners and some areas along the edges are damaged.