Italian Medieval and Renaissance Paintings and Sculptures

On View: West Building, Main Floor

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367 artworks on view.

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Painted entirely with tones of white and gray, a pudgy, winged baby-like putto, Cupid, holds onto a wheel in this vertical canvas. Cupid’s body is angled to our left, where he hunches over the shoulder-high wheel. He has round cheeks, delicate facial features, and chubby rolls at his wrists and thighs. He is nude except for white cloths fluttering across his torso and another lifting up behind him from around his neck. His face turns to us, and he looks down. Both hands are draped over the spoked wheel to our left. A tree grows behind Cupid, to our right, and an animal skull hangs from ribbons on a low branch, in the upper right corner of the canvas. The skull has a long muzzle like a deer. Cupid’s short curls, the cloths, and the ribbons swirl in different directions. A few plants grow around the base of the tree and clouds billow in the shallow background.

Cupid with the Wheel of Time

Titian

c. 1515/1520

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1939.1.213

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25
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This painting shows a person standing on a small rectangular platform, with one knee slightly bent and the heel of that foot raised off of the ground. The person has pale skin with rosy cheeks, arched eyebrows, brown eyes with dark lashes, small lips in a neutral expression, and long, wavy yellow hair. They are wearing a red robe with a knot around the neckline and a green sash with gold designs around the waist. They are barefoot, and their left hand is on their hip while the other is holding a black staff with gold details at the top, bottom, and middle. The background features a green landscape with buildings, small trees, and a distant body of blue water. There is a gray building on the right, and in front there are two people, one seeming to chase the other. There are more people on the left, including one person who is being restrained by two other people, with a third person holding a sword over them. The people wear clothes in shades of pink, red, green, and silvery gray. The sky above is pale blue. The top of the painting is arched.

Joseph of Egypt

Master of the Griselda Legend

c. 1490/1495

Oil on panel transferred to canvas  Accession ID  1952.5.2

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M8
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Shown from the waist up, a woman and the baby she holds are surrounded by two gray-haired men and four blond angels in this vertical painting. They all have pale skin, gold halos, and brown or gray eyes. At the center of the painting, the woman, Mary, has almond-shaped eyes under thin, arched brows, a long nose, a small, coral-pink mouth, and a narrow chin. Her hair is covered by a long, off-white veil and a cobalt-blue mantle that drapes over her head and around her body. The neckline and cuffs of her rust-orange and gold robe peek out from under the mantle, which is bordered with a delicate gold pattern with a gold star on her left shoulder. The child, Jesus sits upright on Mary’s right arm, on our left, and that hand supports his bottom. Her other hand lies over his bare feet. Jesus’s body is turned toward Mary, but his head is turned back to look to our left. He wears a long, gold and dusty-rose robe over a garment with bronze-colored sleeves. A petal-pink mantle is draped across his back and tucked under his bottom. Jesus touches Mary’s mantle near the neckline with one hand and holds a bird in the other hand. The bird is a little larger than his hand and has a strawberry-red face, light gray body, and brown, gold, and black wings. The people on either side of Mary and Jesus are stacked vertically and turn inward to gaze at the central pair. In the lower left, a balding man with a long gray beard holds his hands in prayer while clutching a rosary made with black beads. In the lower right, a cleanshaven man with his gray hair cut in a tonsure also stands with hands in prayer. Two blond angels lean into the painting from each side. They all have blond hair, small, dark pink mouths, and they wear wreaths of pink roses or green leaves. They are all set against a gold background. Tiny, round holes across the surface pierce through at least the top layer.

Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome, Saint Bernardino, and Angels

Sano di Pietro

c. 1460/1470

Tempera on panel  Accession ID  1939.1.274

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M8
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This colorful sculpture is a relief depicting a woman kneeling with her hands clasped in prayer, turned to the left, facing a small child lying on the ground. The woman wears draped robes and has a halo behind her head, while the child also has a halo but is nude. The ground the child lies on is green, with tall white flowers sprouting from green stems behind them. The sky behind the woman is blue, and two cherubic heads are on either side of her head, each with halos and wings. At the very top of this scene, two arms reach down from above holding a white crown with green and blue gems, appearing to be about to place it on the woman's head. This scene is framed with an elaborate border with green leaves, yellow fruits, brown pinecones, and clusters of dark purple grapes. At the bottom of the border are two more cherubic heads. Below that is a small section with a green wreath around what appears to be a round coat of arms featuring a lion and a large X. The people in the sculpture are all completely white, and there is a gold arched border around the sculpture.

The Adoration of the Child

Andrea della Robbia

after 1477

Glazed terracotta  Accession ID  1961.1.2

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M9
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This painting is a portrait of a man depicted from the chest up, his body in profile, facing left, with his head turned toward us. He has pale, pink-toned skin, a full reddish-brown beard, short brown hair, arched eyebrows, a long nose, and thin pink lips in a neutral expression. He is wearing a black coat with a white garment and red collar peeking out by his neck. He also has a black beret or hat on his head. The background is muted gray.

Leonardo de' Ginori

Giuliano Bugiardini

c. 1528

Oil on panel  Accession ID  1942.9.36

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M19
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Set in a landscape, a young man holding a broken lance lunges over the neck of his horse to look at the body of a forest-green dragon on the ground beneath them, while a young woman looks on from our left in this vertical painting. The man and woman both have light skin. The horse and rider are in the center, facing our right, and the man’s scarlet-red cape flutters upward. His right arm, to our left, is bent sharply as he thrusts the shard of the red-and-white striped lance down. His eyebrows are drawn together, and his mouth is open, the corner we can see pulled down. Form-fitting, royal-purple armor protects his torso, and he wears a bronze and silver helmet topped with red and white feathers. His muscular arms are bare, as is the knee we can see between a celery-green skirt and a gray sandal that covers most of that shin. His saddle and saddle blanket are blueberry blue. The brown horse has a dark mane and tail. It lunges forward and down with mouth wide open and teeth bared, so it trounces or pins the dragon beneath its front legs. The dragon is curled in a ball on the lower right side of the composition with its head wrenched backward onto its body. Crimson-red drops of blood drip from its gaping mouth. The young woman stands on the left side of the composition with one knee kneeling on a tall rock. She faces us, wearing a cranberry-red gown under a gold cloak that drapes from her right shoulder, to our left, across her back, and over the other knee. A delicate gold crown rests on her dark blond hair, and she lifts her eyes to look up at the man. Her hands are raised in front of her chest, with gold bracelets and chains hanging from her wrists. In the lower right corner of the painting, a severed foot, arm, and two heads lie near the dragon. Trees with tall, narrow, deep green canopies and one tree with spindly branches lined with delicate leaves separate the scene in front of us from the landscape beyond. In the distance, a city of white stone buildings cluster on a steep hill that rises to our left from a harbor. Tiny in scale, about a dozen people are gathered on two roofs of a multi-level structure, while others move on foot or on horseback down a road leading toward us. The powder-blue sky is scattered with puffy, white clouds. A winged angel surrounded by a butter-yellow aura hovers in the upper right corner.

Saint George and the Dragon

Sodoma

probably 1518

Oil on panel  Accession ID  1952.5.76

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M19
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This painting shows a young man against an olive-green background. The man is standing, his body partially turned to the right, with one hand on his hip and the other near his waist. He is looking at us with a neutral expression. The man has light skin and short brown hair under a black hat with pointed ends on either side. He wears a dark outfit with a high white collar and puffed black sleeves. A thin gold ring is visible on his right hand. The green background has visible brushstrokes and some slight variation in color.

Portrait of a Man

Rosso Fiorentino

early 1520s

Oil on panel  Accession ID  1961.9.59

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M21
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This painting depicts two people, an adult man and a young boy. The man is seen from the knees up, standing with one arm on a table and the other on his hip. He has light skin, light green eyes, a brown beard and mustache, and dark hair under a black cap. He is wearing a bright red jacket with several buttons down the front, which is open to reveal a white garment with several pleats and folds. The boy, who has short brown hair and fair skin, leans against the man's leg, tying a bow on the white garment and looking over his shoulder at us. He wears a yellow outfit with subtle white stripes. On the left is a table covered with dark green fabric which the man has his hand on; there are three books on it, and a letter on white paper propped up against the books. The background is a muted green-brown color.

Alessandro Alberti with a Page

North Italian 16th Century, Gian Paolo Pace

possibly 1544/1545

Oil on canvas  Accession ID  1952.5.80

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M22
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Shown from the chest up, a pale-skinned, clean-shaven man wears furs and fine fabrics in this vertical portrait painting. He is angled to our left and looks down in that direction with brown eyes under slender brows. His shoulder-length, dark brown hair is topped by a soft black cap adorned with a gold medallion-like badge over the temple closer to us. The man has a long, pointed nose, his pale pink lips are closed, and his jawline is darkened by a five-o-clock shadow. He wears a white shirt with a wide, square neckline under a vest or low-cut doublet striped with black and gold. A voluminous black overcoat is lined with tawny-brown fur and edged with gold, L-shaped bands over the shoulders. He holds the sides of the coat together low on his chest with his right hand, to our left. The sleeve looks like black velvet over a translucent white cuff, and the man wears a gold ring with a gray gem on that index finger. A brown band across the bottom of the picture could be a narrow ledge in front of the man or a board or slab oriented vertically, like a frame. A small piece of white, creased paper appears to be affixed to the front of the board with red wax, a glimpse of which is shown along the top edge. A scarlet-red curtain hangs behind the man across the left two-thirds of the composition. A rectangle on the dark wall to our right could be a window opening or a painting. There we find a hilly landscape with trees, buildings, and water. Close to us in that distant view, a man wearing robes and on horseback rides away from a man carrying a lance and running after the horse.

Portrait of a Gentleman

Bartolomeo Veneto

c. 1520

Oil on panel transferred to canvas  Accession ID  1939.1.257

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M10
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A woman holds the hands of two nude children in front of a crimson-red cloth in this vertical painting. All three have pale skin and brown hair. The woman wears a forest-green dress with voluminous sleeves and a gauzy white headdress that wraps around her hair and is fastened with a band across her forehead. She stands crouching with one foot extended slightly forward in a sandal, surrounded by broken chunks of masonry and bits of burning logs. Her body faces us but she turns her head to the right. Her mouth is wide open, and her eyes cut back to our left. The woman clutches the children’s hands in both of her own. The child to our left turns away from us and reaches one hand up to touch the back of the woman’s hand. The child on the right twists away from the woman, eyes squinted up and to the right and mouth open. Behind them, fold lines create a grid across the red cloth. Slivers of grass and blue sky line each side of the composition.

The Wife of Hasdrubal and Her Children

Ercole de' Roberti

c. 1490/1493

Tempera on poplar panel  Accession ID  1965.7.1

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M13
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Three women, two men, and a baby sit on or stand near a throne with a curved top in this vertical painting. All the people have light, peachy skin. A younger woman, Mary, holds a nude baby as she sits on the lap of a second woman, Saint Anne, on the throne. The edges of Saint Anne’s white habit are visible along her forehead and across her neck, and she wears a raspberry-pink robe covering her head, shoulders, and arms. She holds both hands out, with her right hand, to our left, palm down. She looks off to our left, and her lips are parted. On her lap, Mary’s blond hair is pulled back, and she wears a ruby-red dress under a lapis-blue robe. She looks down at the baby who sits on her right knee, to our left. The baby also has blond hair, and he reaches for the hand of a third woman kneeling next to him, to our left. That woman’s reddish-blond hair is pulled back, and she wears a golden yellow wrap over a spruce-green dress. A red cloth hangs down her back and pools over the back of her bent knees and legs. She looks down at her right hand as the baby holds the third finger. The two men stand to either side of the throne. Both have bald heads, each with a ring of hair, and they are cleanshaven. The one to our left stands just behind the kneeling woman, and wears a moss-green, hooded robe with loose sleeves. He holds one hand to his chest, and a faint wound is visible on the back of his palm. The man on the other side faces the throne in profile facing our left. He wears a black cape wrapped around a white robe. He holds a book in one hand and a long stem of white flowers in the other. The throne sits in front of a shadowed, rounded niche. It is lined with a garland dotted with fruit, possibly oranges and lemons. Behind Saint Anne’s head, a gold circle is held up by two winged angels. Along the base of the throne, an oval medallion sits against a design of scrolls and flowers. The medallion shows a person kneeling on a box and another with a sword raised. The throne sits on two steps. On the steps near the kneeling woman are a gold crown, a sword with a gold hilt, and a bit of a broken, wooden wheel.

The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine

Correggio

1510/1515

Oil on panel  Accession ID  1939.1.83

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M18
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A young woman and an older man kneel to either side of a nude baby outside of a barn-like structure in this vertical painting. The people and three winged angels overhead all have pale skin except the older man, who has a more tan complexion. To our right, the woman kneels with her hands crossed over her chest, facing our left in profile. She looks down with dark eyes, and has a long, straight nose, flushed cheeks, and pink lips. Her wavy, chestnut-brown hair is mostly covered by a voluminous white veil that drapes across her shoulders. She wears an azure-blue cloak over a rose-pink, long-sleeved dress, which puddles under her knees. To our left, the man kneels with his hands held up near his face in prayer. He has dark eyes and a short, stubby nose. He is balding with a fringe of curly gray hair, and he has a full, graying beard. He wears a coral-red robe wrapped in a mustard-yellow cloak. The edges of white cuffs are visible at his wrists. One sandaled foot peeks out from under his robe as he kneels on the other knee. A walking stick lies across one arm, braced in his lap. Glimmering gold rings create halos around the man and woman's heads. Between them and on a white cloth in a woven basket, the baby has a pudgy face and body as he lifts his hands toward the woman. One foot is also raised, chubby knee bent. The infant has dark eyes and blond curly hair. Clusters of three lines emanate from the top of his head and to the sides over each ear. A wooden container and a white sack sit on the dirt ground, next to the basket. Beyond the group is a wooden structure with a thatched, overhanging roof. Two white birds sit along a branch tucked in the supports holding up the roof, and a ladder leans against the side of the barn. A crucifux hangs from a deeply shadowed wall behind the man, along the left edge of the painting. Three, winged, childlike angels gather around a piece of sheet music at the top center of the painting. They all have dark blond hair but different colored wings, in coral pink, forest green, or golden yellow. Below, trees and grassy hills lead back to hazy blue mountains along the horizon in the deep distance. A person and white sheep dot the hillside near the structure. The sky above deepens from ice blue at the horizon to aquamarine blue across the top edge. The artist signed and dated the painting as if he had inscribed a plank of wood near the lower right corner: “L. Lotus 1523.”

The Nativity

Lorenzo Lotto

1523

Oil on panel  Accession ID  1939.1.288

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M18
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