Madonna and Child

Jacopo Sansovino

National Gallery of Art

A woman and baby are modeled with papier mâché and stucco in low relief and then painted and gilded in this vertical panel. The woman and child both have peachy, pale skin and dark brown, wavy hair. To the left, the woman looks in profile at the baby she holds to our right. The woman has large, dark eyes, a delicate nose, and her lips are closed. Her head is covered by gold fabric, which falls over her shoulders. A burgundy-red dress is edged in gold under a navy-blue cloak. More gold cloth covers her lap along the bottom edge of the panel. She cradles the baby in both hands. One of the child’s shoulders and his hips are draped with pale gray fabric. He has pudgy arms and legs but a slightly muscular torso. He also has delicate features in a round, pudgy face, and he looks up at the woman. One hand grips the gray fabric and the other hooks onto a strap holding the woman’s gold cloak closed. The background is a muted greenish-brown.