Skip to main content
National Gallery of Art National Gallery of Art

Directions

  • Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Directions

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Shops
    • Tours, Guides, and Maps

    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Ice Rink at the Sculpture Garden

    Step into a winter wonderland.

    Learn more

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

    Today's puzzle

Utility

  • Shop
  • Support

Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

National Gallery of Art

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Shops
    • Tours, Guides, and Maps

    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Ice Rink at the Sculpture Garden

    Step into a winter wonderland.

    Learn more

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

    Today's puzzle

Utility

  • Shop
  • Support

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Shops
    • Tours, Guides, and Maps

    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Ice Rink at the Sculpture Garden

    Step into a winter wonderland.

    Learn more

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Now on view

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

    Today's puzzle

Utility

  • Shop
  • Support

Directions

  • Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Directions

Global Search

Autocomplete Suggestions
    No Results
    Keep typing to get suggestions
    Loading Results

    Top Searches:

    • Free images
    • Van Gogh
    • Landscape
    • National Gallery Nights
    • Matisse
    Advanced Artwork Search

    Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Artworks
    3. M. Guggenheim
    Provenance

    M. Guggenheim

    19th century

    Explore Selected Works

    Artwork

    Sculpted in painted terracotta, a woman is shown from the waist up, bracing a standing nude, plump baby boy. The woman, baby, and two winged heads floating to either side are sculpted in snow-white relief against a flat, cobalt-blue background, all contained within a round gold frame. The roundel is then framed within a rectangular wooden panel ornamented with gold and blue molding, rosettes, and leafy designs. The boy, woman, and winged heads all have plate-like halos, and their eyes have hazel-brown irises outlined in black. Within the round frame, the boy stands to our left of center, and his halo nearly reaches the top of the roundel. His body faces us as he stands on his right leg, to our left. That foot seems to rest on the ledge of the round frame, and he leans against the woman, to our right. He looks off over our left shoulder, his pursed lips set between chubby cheeks. With both pudgy hands, he holds onto the woman’s thumb or garment as she braces his torso. Her body is angled toward the boy, and she looks down and off in that direction. She has a straight nose, a pointed chin, delicate lips, and her thin eyebrows are black. Her wavy hair is parted down the middle and pulled back under a veil, and her long-sleeved garment falls in folds down her front. Her other hand wraps around the baby’s far hip. The winged baby heads hover at her shoulders, one to each side. The blue background has some bands of lighter and darker blue, suggesting a cloud-streaked sky. Gold rosettes fill the top corners between the round frame and the square panel into which it is set. Shield-like forms fill the lower corners. Fluted columns rise to either side of the central panel, and molding runs across the top and bottom. Some of the molding is painted gold, while other areas have gold, leafy patterns painted against the blue background.
    Andrea della Robbia, Madonna and Child with Cherubim, c. 1485, glazed terracotta, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.122

    Madonna and Child with Cherubim

    Madonna and Child with Cherubim

    Andrea della Robbia · c. 1485 · glazed terracotta ·  Accession ID  1937.1.122

    Site Footer

    Home National Gallery of Art

    Hours

    Admission is always free.
    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    Locations

    • West Building

      6th St and Constitution Ave NW
      Washington, DC 20565

    • East Building

      4th St and Constitution Ave NW
      Washington, DC 20565

    • Sculpture Garden

      7th St and Constitution Ave NW
      Washington, DC 20565

    Newsletter Sign Up Form

    Follow us

    Social Media

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer Primary Menu

    • About
      • About Us
      • Press
      • Contact Us
      • Newsletter
    • Visit
      • Plan Your Visit
      • Calendar
      • Today's Tours
      • Accessibility
      • Exhibitions
    • Get Involved
      • Donate
      • Membership
      • Opportunities
    • Research
      • Free Images for Download
      • Artwork Search
      • The Center
      • Conservation
      • Library
      • Archives
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Publications
    © 2025 National Gallery of Art

    Legal Links

    • Notices
    • Privacy Policy