Madonna and Child between St Jerome and St Bernardino of Siena

religious

Around the turn of the 1460s and '70s, Neroccio and Francesco di Giorgio created together a new, blonde and ethereal female ideal in Sienese painting, of which this Madonna is an especially beautiful example. In this composition, a slender and long-necked Virgin holds before her the Child, who looks up at his mother while blessing and supporting himself on the armrest of the throne. The sweeping outline of Mary's gold-edged cloak, sharply delineated against the gold ground, still follows the Ducciesque tradition, but signs of receptivity to the new style can be discerned in every detail of the picture.

Loading map…

Madonna and Child between St Jerome and St Bernardino of Siena

About the Artist

Neroccio De' Landi

1445 – 1500

Sienese painter and sculptor. He was a pupil of Vecchietta and worked in partnership with Francesco di Giorgio until 1475. Most of his paintings are representations of the Virgin and Child with Saints, but one of his finest works is a Portrait of a Girl in the National Gallery in Washington. He continued the elegant and refined Sienese tradition that stretched back to Duccio and his work is particularly noted for its delicate colouring.

View all works →