Madonna and Child in a Niche

Description

This image of Madonna with the Christ Child on her lap has been extensively altered by restoration. During the Renaissance, it was important that the Christ Child's genitalia be exposed, for it declared that Christ is the humanization of God, that he experienced temptation, and that in his exposure, he was without shame. When it was repainted, a cloth was added to the image to cover the Christ Child's genitalia. In 1941 the removal of old overpaint returned the painting more closely to its original state.

Provenance

James Jackson Jarves, sold to Mrs. Liberty E. Holden, 1884;; Mrs. Liberty E. Holden (Cleveland, Ohio), by gift to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1916.

Madonna and Child in a Niche

Antonio del Ceraiolo

c. 1520s

Accession Number

1916.813

Medium

oil on wood

Dimensions

Framed: 87 x 72 x 5.5 cm (34 1/4 x 28 3/8 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 59.5 x 43.9 cm (23 7/16 x 17 5/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Holden Collection