Italian Medieval and Renaissance Paintings and Sculptures

On View: West Building, Main Floor

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366 artworks on view.

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A woman sits in the center of this vertical panel painting and gazes down at a baby lying across her lap while two winged angels hold up a red, gold, and black brocade-like patterned cloth behind her. All the people have pale skin, pink cheeks, blond hair, and flat, gold halos. The woman’s body is angled slightly to our right, and she holds her hands crossed over her chest as she gazes down at the baby. The woman has a straight, pointed nose and a small, pink-lipped mouth. Her azure-blue robe covers her head and drapes over much of the crimson-red dress beneath. The edge of the robe and cuff of her dress are trimmed in gold. The baby lies with his arms slightly raised, and he looks up at the woman. His hips and legs are wrapped with sheer white cloth. The angels in the upper corners of the panel both wear robes in the same azure blue of the woman, and the garments have a gold band around the high waist and gold around the neckline. They look at the woman and hold up the cloth that falls behind and under her and the baby.

The Madonna of Humility

Fra Angelico

c. 1430

Tempera on panel  Accession ID  1937.1.5

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M3
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The sculpture is a bust of a woman, focusing on her head and shoulders. She has a high forehead with slightly curling hair pulled back under a smooth cap. Her face includes thin eyebrows, a long nose, a slightly cleft chin, and lips set in a neutral expression. Her eyes are blank, without a visible pupil or iris. Her clothing appears to be an intricately detailed dress, featuring floral patterns and slightly puffed sleeves. The sculpture is carved from a smooth, light-colored material.

A Lady

Italian 15th Century

1475/1485

Marble  Accession ID  1939.1.326

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M9
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Shown from the chest up, an older, pale-skinned man dressed in scarlet red faces us in this vertical portrait painting. His slender body is turned slightly to our right, but his head turns back to our left so he gazes at a point just over our left shoulder. His large, deep-set dark blue eyes are lined with crow’s feet over high, angular cheekbones. His dark brown beard is shot through with silvery gray, and he has brown, chin-length hair and bangs across his lined forehead. His red garment has a high neck, and the opening down the front is lined with white, perhaps fur. A black sash drapes over his left shoulder, to our right. He is illuminated with warm light from the upper left and set against a dark brown background. A portion of an inscribed plaque is visible just over his right shoulder. It reads, “…TIS …OIX.”

Andrea de' Franceschi

Anonymous Artist

late 16th or early 17th century

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1937.1.35

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M23
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Under an arched structure, five women gather around a baby as two men sit outside the room in this vertical painting. All the people have pale skin with a faint greenish cast. The women have blond hair and the men have gray hair. To our right, a ruby-red curtain has been drawn back along the long side of a bed, and a woman there reclines propped on one elbow, facing into the room. She wears a white veil that covers her hair, neck, and shoulders and a sky-blue robe edged with gold over a navy-blue dress. Her head is encircled with a gold halo, and she looks down toward the baby at the center of the painting. Her wrists are crossed over a gold bowl, and an attendant standing next to the bed pours water from a gold pitcher over her hands. The attendant wears a forest-green dress and a white cloth is wrapped over her head. A pair of women sitting on the floor near the bed hold the infant, who has a gold halo around short, blond hair. Wrapped in a white cloth, the baby stands on the lap of one woman, who wears a rose-pink dress and a white cloth wrapped around her hair. The second woman in this pair, to our left, wears a golden yellow robe over a scarlet-red dress, and her braided hair is wound around her head. She holds both hands up in front of the baby, who looks at her, facing our left in profile. A gold bowl with a flaring foot sits on the floor in front of this trio. Coming through a darkened doorway behind them, a fifth woman wearing a topaz-blue dress enters carrying a gold dish. To our left, the two bearded men sit with their backs to the gray, stone wall enclosing the room with the women. The man closer to us has a long gray beard, and his wavy hair is surrounded by a gold halo. He looks to our left in profile and wears a rose-pink robe edged with gold, over a light blue garment. The second man angles his body toward his neighbor and gestures with one raised finger. The second man has a trimmed, gray beard and he wears a slate-blue robe over a butter-yellow garment. The structure enclosing the scene is made up of several arched openings that do not quite fit together to create a cohesive room. The upper, outer corners of the building are missing, as if in ruin. The background above is shiny gold that has been worn away in some areas to show the red layer underneath.

The Nativity of the Virgin

Andrea di Bartolo

c. 1400/1405

Tempera on poplar panel  Accession ID  1939.1.42

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M3
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An older woman and man stand behind a young girl who climbs up the steps of a structure, in which a bearded man stands with his hands outstretched, while a group of six people gather to our right, all against a shimmering gold background in this vertical painting. All the people have light skin with long noses, dark eyes, and their garments are edged with gold. The young girl, Mary, walks to our right but looks back over her shoulder to our left. She has reddish-blond hair pulled back under a scarlet-red headband, hazel-green eyes, and her rosebud lips are closed. Her rose-pink, long-sleeved dress falls to her feet and is covered with a stylized, gold, floral pattern. She holds a book with a red cover in one hand and holds up the hem of her dress with the other. She and the two older people behind her have flat, gold halos incised with geometric patterns surrounding their heads. The older couple behind her, in the lower left corner of the composition, face our right in profile. The older woman stands closer to us, wearing a white veil that covers her head, neck, and shoulders. With one hand she holds the sides of her aquamarine-blue cloak closed over her pine-green dress, and she holds her right hand up near her shoulder with the palm facing Mary. The man behind her has a gray beard and wavy hair, and he wears a dusky rose-pink cloak over a long-sleeved, blue garment. He raises his right hand near Mary’s elbow. The arched, domed structure at the top of the stairs, in the right half of the painting, has ivory-white walls, and the ceiling is blue with gold stars. Mary approaches a man standing in the structure with his arms held out and hands open. He has shoulder-length, curly gray hair and a long beard, and wears a tall, pointed cap above a gold crown. His red cloak falls open over a long white robe that ends just shy of the golden-yellow garment beneath, which falls to his feet. Tucked into the corner behind him and to our right, four young girls or women with blond hair tucked under headbands stand in a close group, wearing dresses of butter yellow, crimson red, or rose pink. The girl closest to us crosses her arms over her chest and looks to our right, but the others look toward the man in the structure. They stand next to a rectangular altar holding a tall, gold vessel. The two bearded men in the lower right corner of the painting look toward each other and point in opposite directions, one wearing a lilac-purple cloak over a red robe and the other a forest-green cloak over a pale blue robe. In the background, the red layer beneath the gold leaf shows through in some areas.

The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple

Andrea di Bartolo

c. 1400/1405

Tempera on poplar panel  Accession ID  1939.1.41

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M3
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Shown from the chest up, a pale-skinned, clean-shaven man with brown hair and wearing brown looks up and slightly to our right in this vertical portrait painting. The man’s brown eyes gaze up under low, dark brows. He has a square face with a rounded nose, a wide chin, and his thin lips are closed. Wavy brown hair falls almost to his shoulders from under an earth-brown, brimless cap. Vertical pleats fall from the high neck of his coffee-brown garment, which is lined with a narrow band of white at the neck. The man is lit brightly from our left, but his clothing and hair nearly blend into the dark brown background.

Portrait of a Man

Alvise Vivarini

c. 1495

Oil on panel  Accession ID  1939.1.355

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M12
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Shown from the waist up, a pale-skinned man sits in front of the coiled body of a dragon in this vertical painting. The man’s body faces our right in profile, but he turns his head to look off to the right out of the corner of the large, dark eye we can see. He has short black hair, a bushy beard, and a small nose. A dark cap is draped with a feathery or fleecy material around a gold-colored medallion, which may show a person. The man wears a short sleeved black tunic over a raspberry-pink, long-sleeved garment. His right arm, closer to us, rests near the corner of a table, and he holds a staff with a partly rolled-up flag with the other. The lower section of a white cross on the red flag is visible, and the bottom edge is trimmed with a bronze-colored, floral motif. A round, peacock-blue object with gold filigree, perhaps a helmet, lies on the table just beyond his hands. The dragon’s lizard-like head lies on the left behind the man’s back. Greenish-brown scales cover its body, and one glassy, open eye and sharp fangs are illuminated by light from above. Its body forms a hump beyond the head before it curls across the back of the painting. The dragon and man are in front of an ash-brown curtain, which sags in the top left corner to show the canopies of trees and a blue sky.

Portrait of a Man as Saint George

Giuseppe Caletti

c. 1620s

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1939.1.98

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25
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A woman holding a nude child sits against a gold background in this vertical painting, which has a long, pointed top. They both have pale skin tinged with green, blond hair, delicate features, and pink cheeks. The woman sits on a cushion with her body angled to our left and holds the baby on her right knee. She tips her head and looks down at the child with hooded eyes. She wears a cream-white dress under a midnight-blue cloak lined with forest green. She braces the baby’s torso with her right hand, to our left, and holds the pale pink cloth on which he sits with the other. The child’s body faces her, and he touches the clasp of her cloak with one hand. The other hand rests on her shoulder. Both have decorative, patterned halos punched into the gold background. The white cushion is patterned with white-petaled flowers with tiny red centers. The brown floor is speckled with white dots and perhaps minuscule flowers, but the area is dark and difficult to make out. A bearded man shown from the waist up floats overhead in a much smaller scale. He has a gold halo, blond hair, and wears a yellow robe. Six pink wings are lined up down his arms. Gold rays fan down from his body to reach a white bird between him and the woman. The panel has molding around its edges and flame-like carvings up the pointed top.

Madonna of Humility

Sassetta

c. 1435/1440

Tempera on poplar panel  Accession ID  1939.1.246

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M3
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This painting shows a young person from the waist up, sitting with their hands folded on a brown surface. The person is angled slightly to the left, looking up into the distance. They have pale skin, soft, rounded facial features, and long, wavy light brown hair. They wear a vibrant red garment with green ties down the front and a red cap on their head. In the background, there are rocky blue and brown cliffs, tall leafy green trees, and tall gray buildings and towers under a clear blue sky.

Portrait of a Youth

Agnolo di Domenico del Mazziere, Donnino di Domenico del Mazziere

c. 1495/1500

Oil on panel transferred to canvas and solid support  Accession ID  1939.1.294

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M6
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An old man and a young woman holding an infant are seated together in the center of this almost square painting. All three people have pale, peachy skin. To our left, the man sits on a low, tan brick wall with his head bowed to look at the baby on the woman’s lap. A periwinkle-blue cloak is wrapped around the kelly-green robe that covers his shoulders, back, and legs. One hand grips a short staff planted on the ground. His receding white hair and beard are thin and scraggly with tufts sticking out over his ears. The woman sits next to and slightly in front of him, to our right, on a low rock, her body angled toward the man. A long, cobalt-blue cloak is draped around her shoulders and covers her knees over her rose-pink gown. Her honey-brown hair is parted in the middle and gathered at the back of her head. Her brown eyes look down at the infant, who is blond with brown eyes. A long white shawl is tucked into the neckline of her dress, drapes over her shoulders, and wraps under the baby as she cradles his body with one hand under his backside and the other behind his head. The baby lies on his back with his head turned toward the woman, and he points to her with one outstretched arm. The dirt ground is scattered with pebbles that make a loose ring around the trio, with moss-green growth to either side. A brown brick wall fills the upper half of the composition behind the people and extends off the top edge. A rounded arch pierces the back wall to our right of the woman. On the other side of the opening, trees with copper-brown leaves grow up along the left and the landscape beyond opens onto rocky hills with a white, square tower. In the deep distance, the silhouette of a town is painted in robin’s egg-blue against a pale peach horizon line. Thin, white clouds skim across the blue sky above.

The Holy Family

Giorgione

probably c. 1500

Oil on panel transferred to hardboard  Accession ID  1952.2.8

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M10
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Set on a strip of land under a cloud-filled sky and in front of a stormy sea, a nude, light-skinned satyr reclines to our right as a nude, pale-skinned, blond child crouches over some objects on the dirt ground to our left in this vertical landscape painting. The satyr has with a man’s body and shaggy, goat’s legs. He leans over and peers into a golden urn, which has a round bottom and tall, flaring sides about the height of his torso. One hand holds the single handle and the other wraps around the body of the urn. The tips of the satyr’s ears are elongated and pointed, and the corner of his mouth curves up into an exaggerated smile in his brown beard. Red liquid pours from an object, perhaps an overturned urn, near the satyr’s outstretched leg and white liquid pours from another urn between us and the satyr. Next to the satyr, at the center of the painting, a thick, upright tree trunk is broken off abruptly but one shoot grows tall with emerald-green leaves. A translucent, shield-shaped object decorated with an open-mouthed, human face hangs from a pink ribbon around the broken trunk near the branch. A second shield outlined in red with a rearing, white lion against a royal-blue field leans against the foot of the tree to our left. Nearby, the pale, naked child holds a pair of sticks, possibly a compass, and reaches for other objects on the ground near the shield, including a white disk, a pair of small, red-covered books, a square and possibly a plumb line, a flute, pan pipes, and a scroll of paper. The ground and landscape around each person are distinctly different. To our left, the dirt ground under the child is littered with small rocks. Beyond a row of larger boulders, a sweeping field of lemon-lime green sweeps up into a bank of clouds. A small nude person with dark forms, perhaps representing wings, on their shoulders, arms hips, and ankles ascends a path up toward the clouds. To our right, the satyr reclines on green grass in front of a screen of three lush trees. Beyond, across the entire landscape, a choppy sea extends into the far distance beneath the steel-gray clouds above. A masted ship is swallowed by waves behind the satyr, to our right.

Allegory of Virtue and Vice

Lorenzo Lotto

1505

Oil on panel  Accession ID  1939.1.156

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25
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A nude man holding a book in one hand and a rock down by his other side kneels at the opening of a rocky cave in this vertical painting. The man’s body and the shadowy cave opening nearly fill the composition. The man’s torso and limbs are elongated and sinewy, and his skin is painted in tones of ivory white and pale peach with smoky gray shadows. His body is squared to us as he turns his long face to look up and off to our left. He has dark brows over deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, hollow cheeks, and his thin lips are closed. He has short white hair and a frost-white beard. His skin pulls tightly over the tendons in his neck, across his collarbone, and over his ladder-like ribcage. He is nude except for a loosely painted, light-colored cloth across his hips. His left arm, to our right, lies along an open book, which rests against his hip or on a rock in the cave. A few touches of red line the hand that grips the rock, which he holds away from his body with his other hand. The craggy face of the cave opening is loosely painted, and the interior is swallowed in complete darkness. The man raises his face toward rays of canary yellow and cotton white against a turquoise-blue sky in the upper left corner of the canvas.

Saint Jerome

El Greco

c. 1610/1614

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1943.7.6

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M28
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