Madonna and Child Enthroned with Donor

1470

Carlo Crivelli

Artist, Venetian, c. 1430/1435 - 1495

A young woman sits with a small child standing on her lap on an ornate throne as a third person, tiny in scale, kneels and looks up from the lower left corner in this tall, narrow, vertical painting, which has an arched top. The woman and child have pale skin and flat gold halos behind their heads, and the tiny person near the corner has light brown skin. The woman’s body faces us and her head tilts to her right, our left, toward the child, but she cuts her pale eyes down and slightly to our right. She has a delicate, long nose and her small lips are closed in a straight line. A white veil covering blond hair is, in turn, covered with a midnight-blue mantle that falls over her head, shoulders, and body. The underside of her cloak is emerald green where it turns back down over her chest and across her lap. The bottom hem is lined with a wide decorative band with scrolling vines and leaves in gold, and it pools around her feet on the floor. She wears a raspberry-red dress with gold vines over the chest and pearls lining the neckline. With her left hand, on our right, she supports the child on one hip. Her other hand braces the stem of the green apple the baby holds in both hands. Short, blond curls frame the baby’s face. He looks up and to our right with light eyes. He has a short, rounded nose and his lips are parted. His head is large like a baby's, but the proportions of his torso, arms, and legs more closely resemble those of an adult. He wears a pale, rose-pink tunic edged with gold, and his legs and feet are bare. The elaborate throne has an arched top that mirrors the top edge of the arched panel. An inscription in the stone up along the curve of the throne reads, “MEMENTO MEI MATER DEI REGINA CELI LETARE.” A garland of pale green and red fruit, probably apples, hangs behind the woman’s head. There are fantastical creatures where the arms of the throne would be. Carved from the same nickel-gray stone, each arm is made up of dog's face, with mouth wide open and braced against the seat of the chair. A husk-like covering curves up and back to a section of fish's scales, and each arm ends with an ornament like a bunch of grapes where it meets the back. A scarlet-red cloth hangs behind the thorne, against a gold wall, with a salmon-pink floor below. The miniature kneeling man near the lower right corner is only ankle high. His dark hair is cut into a ring around his head. He has a darker complexion and wrinkles around his mouth. He wears long, topaz-blue garment over a black robe. He holds his hands in prayer and looks up at the woman and baby, lips parted. Scaled to the woman, a jeweled crown sits on the floor nearby, projecting behond the front face of a panel of stone with a shell painted at its center.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

"Remember me, O Mother of God. O Queen of Heaven, rejoice." These words, taken from an Easter psalm sung in the Virgin's honor, appear on the golden arch at the top of Carlo Crivelli's Madonna and Child Enthroned with Donor. The donor, the Albanian ecclesiastic Prenta di Giorgio, kneels in prayer near the Virgin's crown.

Crivelli's painting originally constituted the central section of a polyptych in the parish church at Porto San Giorgio, near Fermi. The crisp, sculptural forms reflect Crivelli's probable training in the humanist center of Padua. Yet the manner in which Crivelli's figures are modeled in light and shade also expresses a broader Renaissance concern with direct observation of nature.

Crivelli's very personal, almost metallic style must in large part be explained by the events of his life. He was born in Venice where the Gothic tradition lingered well into the fifteenth century. After spending some time in Padua, he settled in the Marches on the Adriatic, and there remained relatively unaffected by new trends.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 13

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    tempera on poplar panel

  • Credit Line

    Samuel H. Kress Collection

  • Dimensions

    painted surface: 125.3 x 50.7 cm (49 5/16 x 19 15/16 in.)
    overall (including unpainted margins): 129.5 x 54.4 cm (51 x 21 7/16 in.)
    framed: 185.4 x 91.8 x 7.9 cm (73 x 36 1/8 x 3 1/8 in.)

  • Accession

    1952.5.6

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Church of San Giorgio, Porto San Giorgio (the port of Fermo); recorded in 1771 and probably remained in the church until it was demolished in 1803; temporarily in the church of the Suffragio, then with the Salvadori family, Porto San Giórgio, by 1832; installed 1834 in the rebuilt church of San Giorgio; sold by Luigi Salvadori, then resold 1835 by the prior of the commune of Porto San Giorgio, to Henry Hudson, Portuguese embassy, Rome.[1] William Ward, 1st earl of Dudley [1817-1885, created earl 1860], Witley Court, Worcestershire, by 1851; (his sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 7 April 1876, no. 135 [same lot as four other panels from Porto San Giórgio polyptych]); purchased by (Martin Colnaghi, London).[2] Sir Francis Cook, 1st bt. [1817-1901], Doughty House, Richmond, Surrey; by inheritance to his son, Sir Frederick Lucas Cook, 2nd bt. [1844-1920], Doughty House; by inheritance to his son, Sir Herbert Frederick Cook, 3rd bt. [1868-1939], Doughty House; by inheritance to his son, Sir Francis Ferdinand Maurice Cook, 4th bt. [1907-1978], Doughty House and Cothay Manor, Somerset; sold 31 October 1944 through (Francis A. Drey, London) to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1952 to NGA.
[1] According to Pietro Zampetti, Carlo Crivelli, Florence, 1986: 254-255, after a statue of Saint George was installed on the high altar of the rebuilt church, the polyptych was returned to the Salvadori family, who sold it to the collector Hudson. Contesting the Salvadori, the prior of Porto San Giorgio claimed ownership for the commune, and resold the painting to Hudson for a higher price.
[2] Algernon Graves, Art Sales From Early in the Eighteenth Century to Early in the Twentieth Century, 3 vols., London, 1918-1923: 1:184.
[3] According to the July-December 1944 report of the keeper of the Cook collection (transcription in NGA curatorial files, from the Cook Collection Archive in care of John Somerville, England), and the invoice from Drey to the Kress Foundation (copy in NGA curatorial files). See also The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/1351.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1851

  • Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, London, 1851.

1902

  • Exhibition of Works by The Old Masters. Winter Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1902, no. 20, as Virgin and Child.

1912

  • A Collection of Pictures of the Early Venetian School and Other Works of Art, Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1912, no. 2 (no. 7 and pl. VI of illustrated catalogue, titled Early Venetian Pictures and Other Works of Art).

1930

  • Exhibition of Italian Art 1200-1900, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1930, no. 205 (no. 193 in commemorative catalogue published 1931; not in souvenir catalogue).

1946

  • Recent Additions to the Kress Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1946, no. 794.

2015

  • Ornament & Illusion: Carlo Crivelli of Venice, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, 2015-2016, no. 4, repro.

2016

  • Carlo Crivelli, A Renaissance Original, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, 2016, no catalogue.

Bibliography

1834

  • Ricci, Amico. Memorie storiche delle arti e degli artisti della Marca di Ancona. 2 vols. Macerata, 1834: 1:209, 227 n. 12.

1851

  • “Lord Ward’s Collection of Pictures.” Athenaeum no. 1236 (5 July 1851): 723.

1854

  • Waagen, Gustav Friedrich. Treasures of Art in Great Britain: Being an Account of the Chief Collections of Paintings, Drawings, Sculptures, Illuminated Mss.. 3 vols. London, 1854: 2:235.

1871

  • Crowe, Joseph Archer, and Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle. A History of Painting in North Italy. 2 vols. London, 1871: 1:91 n. 3.

1900

  • Rushforth, G. McNeil. Carlo Crivelli. London, 1900: 16-17, 43, 96-97.

1901

  • Berenson, Bernard. The Study and Criticism of Italian Art. London, 1901: 101-102.

  • Venturi, Adolfo. Storia dell’arte italiana. 11 vols. Milan, 1901-1940: 7, part 3(1914):364-370, 372, fig. 284.

1902

  • Cook, Herbert. “Pitture italiane esposte a Burlington House.” L’Arte 5 (1902): 114, repro.

1903

  • Cook, Francis. Abridged Catalogue of the Pictures at Doughty House, Richmond. London, 1903: 12.

1907

  • Venturi, Lionello. Le origine della pittura veneziana 1300-1500. Venice, 1907: 194.

1911

  • Gnoli, Umberto. “Opere sconosciute di Pietro Alemanno.” Rassegna d’Arte 11, no. 12 (December 1911): 206, repro.

1912

  • Fry, Roger E. “Exhibition of Pictures of the Early Venetian School at the Burlington Fine Arts Club. Part 1.” The Burlington Magazine 21 (April 1912): 48.

1913

  • Borenius, Tancred. A Catalogue of the Paintings at Doughty House, Richmond, and Elsewhere in the Collection of Sir Frederick Cook Bt. Italian Schools. Vol. I, Pt. 2. Edited by Herbert Cook. London, 1913: 156, no. 131, pl. 18.

1915

  • Testi, Laudedeo. La storia della pittura veneziana. 2. Il devenire. Bergamo, 1915: 605-606, 670-671, repro.

1916

  • Berenson, Bernard. _Venetian Painting in America _. New York, 1916: 19.

1923

  • Marle, Raimond van. The Development of the Italian Schools of Painting. 19 vols. The Hague, 1923-1938: 18(1936):5-7, repro.

1927

  • Drey, Franz. Carlo Crivelli und seine Schule. Munich, 1927: 50, 122, pl. 6.

1932

  • Berenson, Bernard. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance. Oxford, 1932: 162.

1936

  • Berenson, Bernard. Pitture italiane del rinascimento. Milan, 1936: 140.

1945

  • Paintings and Sculpture from the Kress Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1945 (reprinted 1947, 1949): 79, repro.

1946

  • Frankfurter, Alfred M. Supplement to the Kress Collection in the National Gallery. New York, 1946: 36, repro.

  • Longhi, Roberto. Viatico per cinque secoli di pittura veneziana. Florence, 1946: 57.

1947

  • Friedmann, Herbert. “The Symbolism of Crivelli’s Madonna and Child Enthroned with Donor in the National Gallery.” Gazette des Beaux-Arts 32 (September-October 1947): 65-72, repro.

1951

  • Einstein, Lewis. Looking at Italian Pictures in the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1951: 74-75, repro.

1952

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds., Great Paintings from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1952: 46, color repro.

  • Zampetti, Pietro. Carlo Crivelli nelle marche. Urbino, 1952: 72.

1954

  • Godfrey, Frederick M. Early Italian Painters, 1415-1495. London, 1954: 20, pl. 34.

1957

  • Berenson, Bernard. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance. Venetian School. 2 vols. London, 1957: 1:71, pl. 12.

1959

  • Paintings and Sculpture from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1959: 128, repro.

1961

  • Walker, John, Guy Emerson, and Charles Seymour. Art Treasures for America: An Anthology of Paintings & Sculpture in the Samuel H. Kress Collection. London, 1961: 52, color repro. pl. 48.

  • Davies, Martin. National Gallery Catalogues. The Earlier Italian Schools. London, 1961: 168-169.

  • Bovero, Anna. Tutta la pittura del Crivelli. Milan, 1961: 19-20, 55-56, pl. 15.

  • Brugnoli, Maria Vittoria. “La mostra del Crivelli a Venezia.” Bollettino d’Arte 46, no. 3 (1961): 286, 287, repro.

  • Zampetti, Pietro. Carlo Crivelli. Milan, 1961: 13, 15, 72-74, pl. 17.

  • Zampetti, Pietro, ed. Carlo Crivelli e i crivelleschi. Exh. cat. Palazzo Ducale, Venice, 1961: 32.

1962

  • Longhi, Roberto. “Crivelli e Mantegna: Due mostre interferenti e la cultura del 1961.” Paragone 8, no. 145 (January 1962): 13-14.

1963

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 302, repro.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 35.

1966

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds. A Pageant of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. New York, 1966: 1:148, color repro.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 28, repro.

  • Shapley, Fern Rusk. Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Italian Schools, XV-XVI Century. London, 1968: 34-35, fig. 80.

1972

  • Di Provvido, Sandra. La pittura di Vittore Crivelli. L’Aquila, 1972: 18.

  • Davies, Martin. Carlo Crivelli. Themes and Painters in the National Gallery [London], no. 4. London, 1972: 23.

1974

  • Bovero, Anna. L’opera completa del Crivelli. Milan, 1974: 85-86, repro.

  • Hendy, Philip. European and American Paintings in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Boston, 1974: 66.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 88, repro.

1977

  • Levi d'Ancona, Mirella. The Garden of the Renaissance: Botanical Symbolism in Italian Painting. Florence, 1977: 52.

1978

  • Fahy, Everett. “Italian Paintings at Fenway Court and Elsewhere.” The Connoisseur 198, no. 795 (May 1978): 34, 35, repro.

1979

  • Shapley, Fern Rusk. Catalogue of the Italian Paintings. 2 vols. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1979: 1:150-151; 2:pl. 106.

  • Watson, Ross. The National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1979: 31, pl. 14.

1981

  • Flack, Audrey. “On Carlo Crivelli.” Arts 55, no. 10 (June 1981): 94-95

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 116, no. 96, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 107, repro.

1986

  • Zampetti, Pietro. Carlo Crivelli. Florence, 1986: 15, 23, 25-26, 30, 32, 36, 39-41, 254-257, pl. 6.

1992

  • National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 19, repro.

1993

  • Gagliardi, Jacques. La conquête de la peinture: L’Europe des ateliers du XIIIe au XVe siècle. Paris, 1993: 517.

2003

  • Boskovits, Miklós, and David Alan Brown, et al. Italian Paintings of the Fifteenth Century. The Systematic Catalogue of the National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C., 2003: 230-235, color repro.

2004

  • Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 26, no. 19, color repro.

  • Lightbown, Ronald. Carlo Crivelli. New Haven and London, 2004: 109-115, 117, 128, 141, 149, 151, fig, 24.

2005

  • Costanzi, Costanza, ed. Le Marche disperse: repertorio di opere d’arte dalle Marche al mondo. Cinisello Balsamo (Milan), 2005: 159, cat. 162, pl. 74.

2009

  • Tosato, Debora. “La prima attività di Crivelli tra Venezia, Padova e le Marche.” In Emanuela Daffra, ed. Crivelli e Brera. Exh. cat. Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan, 2009: 65-66.

2010

  • Di Stefano, Emanuela. “Tappeti e tessuti nel commercio intercontinentale. Il ruolo delle Marche fra XIV e XVI secolo.” In Moshe Tabibnia, Tiziana Marchesi, and Elena Piccoli, eds. Crivelli e l’arte tessile. I tappeti e i tessuti di Carlo Crivelli. Milan, 2010: 59, fig. 46.

  • Nuttall, Geoffrey. “The Studiolo of Paolo Guinigi: Valois Influence in Early Renaissance Italy.” Studiolo: Revue d’histoire de l’arte de l’académie de France 8 (2010): 46, fig. 6.

2011

  • Coltrinari, Francesca. “Note e precisazioni sulla prima attività di Carlo Crivelli nelle Marche.” Incontri 1 (2011): 157-159.

  • Coltrinari, Francesca. “Vittore e Carlo Crivelli. Due vite parallele.” In Francesca Coltrinari and Alessandro Delpriori, eds. Vittore Crivelli: Da Venezia alle Marche. Maestri del Rinascimento in Appennino. Exh. cat. Palazzo del Popolo, Sarnano, 2011: 49-53, fig. 4.

2015

  • Campbell, Stephen J. “On the Importance of Crivelli.” In Stephen J. Campbell, ed. Ornament & Illusion: Carlo Crivelli of Venice. Exh. cat. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, 2015: 18.

  • Golsenne, Thomas. “Carlo Crivelli: Portrait of the Artist as a Cucumber.” In Stephen J. Campbell, ed. Ornament & Illusion: Carlo Crivelli of Venice. Exh. cat. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, 2015: 84-85, 91, fig. 40.

2017

  • Golsenne, Thomas. Carlo Crivelli et le matérialisme mystique du Quattrocento. Rennes, 2017: 18, 132, 146-147, 185, 195, figs. 8, 71.

Inscriptions

on the arch of the throne: MEMENTO.MEI.MATER.DEI.REGINA.CELI.LETARE (Remember me, O Mother of God, O Queen of Heaven rejoice!; Regina Coeli from an Easter antiphon)

Wikidata ID

Q3842395

You may be interested in

Loading Results