Italian Medieval and Renaissance Paintings and Sculptures

On View: West Building, Main Floor

Gallery number

367 artworks on view.

The sculpture is a ceramic vessel featuring a painted depiction of a cherubic, nude figure holding a vertical rod with a heart attached at the end. The background scene includes stylized mountains and grass. The vessel is painted in blue tones with yellow and hints of green. The figure has pale skin and brown, curly hair, and the material appears to be ceramic or pottery. The vessel is cylindrical with slightly curved sides, a wider base, and a narrow neck. Terracotta brown is visible at the rim and base, creating an aged and rustic appearance.

Albarello with Cupid spearing a heart

Faenza 16th Century

c. 1500/1510

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 2014.136.330

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

This is a photograph of a decorative ceramic plate with intricate designs. The plate features a central emblem with a shield design, displaying five red roundels on a golden field, topped by a papal tiara and crossed keys. Surrounding the emblem is an ornate pattern with a blue background and white swirling motifs. The outer border of the plate is adorned with alternating green and yellow geometric designs. The craftsmanship suggests a detailed and meticulous approach to decoration, likely intended for ornamental use.

Footed dish with the arms of the Medici, reverse decorated "alla porcellana"

Tuscan 16th Century, Cafaggiolo 16th Century

c. 1513/1521

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 2014.136.302

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

This is a painting of people and animals in a rich green landscape under a blue sky with one bright star. On the right, under an arch, there is a seated woman with an infant on her lap, one man standing behind her and another kneeling in front of her, a crown on the ground next to him. There are two more men with crowns standing near the kneeling man, both pointing towards the child. The left side shows more people standing and looking at the woman and child, with some mounted on horses. More people are walking down a tall hill on the left, coming towards us. The people are clothed in tunics and cloaks in bright shades of green, blue, and orange-yellow. Most of them have pale yellow skin, although one of the crowned men in front of the woman has brown skin.

Panel with the Adoration of the Magi

Nicola da Urbino

c. 1525

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 1942.9.341

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

A woman sitting on a throne with a child on her lap and two angels are carved from white marble and decorated with a few areas of gold in this freestanding sculpture. All four people face us in this photograph, and they have round cheeks, square jawlines, and closed lips. Black dots are painted for pupils but without irises or other paint on their faces, they all look startled or intense. The woman wears a gold crown over a cloth that drapes over her head, shoulders, and across her lap. Her knees are apart, and pointed shoes peek out under the rippling hem of her dress. She braces the child’s torso with her left hand, to our right, and touches his upper leg with the other hand. The child’s adult-like face is framed by gold hair. He holds up one hand, though the fingers have been broken off, and holds an open book facing out propped on his leg with his other hand. Writing on the pages has been painted. Two child-like, wingless angels stand on the arms of the throne behind the woman’s shoulders and hold a cloth up behind her head. On all four people, their hair and the necklines, hems, and cuffs of their garments have been painted with gold geometric designs. The Latin text on the book reads, "CONTINET IN GERMIO CELV TERRA Q REGENTE VIRGO DEI GENETRIX MCCCXXI.”

Madonna and Child with Two Angels

Verona 14th Century

1321

Marble Accession ID 1961.9.95

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M1

A woman braces the body of a dead young man across her lap in this freestanding, painted, terracotta sculpture. The woman half stands and half crouches with her body facing us in this photograph. Her face is mottled with red and peach and is lined, and her eyes look down or are closed. Her snow-white head covering also lines her face, covers her neck, and rests in folds on her chest. Her lapis-blue cloak drapes over her head and falls to her feet over her long-sleeved, plum-purple dress. The man’s skin is glazed with mottled shades of tan and peach, and he wears only a white loincloth across his hips. The woman supports his head with her right hand, to our left, so her fingers twine with his long curls. The man has a curly beard. His lips are parted, and his eyes are almost closed. His right arm, closer to us, lies across his belly and there is a hole piercing the back of that hand. There is also a gash across his right ribs and holes in the tops of his feet. The woman braces his hip with her other hand, and his legs fall limply to the side, knees bent. The woman stands on a step on a white base, and one purple shoe peeks out under the pooling folds of her blue cloak. Some of the painted, glazed areas are chipped on the white base.

Pietà

Giovanni della Robbia

c. 1510/1520

Glazed terracotta Accession ID 1943.4.70

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M9

This painting depicts a mythological scene with three central figures. One figure in a blue robe holds a sword, another figure in an orange garment appears distressed, and a third angelic figure with wings stands beside a tree. The background shows a lush landscape with architectural elements against a serene sky. The use of vibrant colors and intricate detailing creates a lively scene. This artwork is in the style of Renaissance majolica pottery.

Plate with Pyramus and Thisbe

Francesco Xanto Avelli

1536

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 2015.19.4013

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M17

This is a photograph of a decorative ceramic jar with a mythological scene. The jar features a winged cherub, who is blindfolded and seated on a golden blanket. The background shows a natural scene, with green possibly representing grass or water, and distant hills or mountains. The rim of the jar has alternating color patterns with geometric designs. The artwork on the jar suggests a traditional aesthetic typical of European ceramics.

Albarello with blindfolded, bound Cupid

Faenza 16th Century

c. 1500/1510

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 2014.136.332

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

A crowned woman and the baby she holds on one hip are carved from white marble in this freestanding sculpture. The woman has a round face with a long nose and slightly smiling lips. Her long curly hair is parted down the middle and held back under a high crown made of spade-shaped acanthus leaves. A cloth covers her head and drapes over her shoulders and across her hips. Divots are carved along the lower hem of the cloth. The dress she wears underneath has three circular openings along the squared neckline, and pointy-toed shoes peek out from under the hem of the long skirt. She holds the stem of a now-broken frond in her right hand, to our left, by that hip. Her other hand supports the baby. He has a round face, short, wavy hair, wide-set eyes, chubby cheeks, a delicate nose, and his lips are parted. His torso is nude, and a cloth wraps around his hips and falls in folds around his bare feet. His left arm, to our right, is missing beyond the shoulder. He leans the other elbow against the woman’s chest, and the lower arm is missing beyond that. The sculpture is photographed against a pale gray background.

Virgin and Child

French 14th Century

c. 1325/1350

Marble Accession ID 1961.9.99

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M2

An armored knight and the rectangular trough he lies next to are both on a slightly larger pedestal base in this freestanding, vibrantly colored maiolica inkstand. The earthenware object was covered with tin-oxide glaze, which, when fired, results in royal blue, grass green, pale orange, and brown hues. The knight’s skin is the white of the earthenware, and his armor is blue and orange. He lies down, using his helmet as a pillow to our left. Both knees are bent, and his hands are by his sides. A staff or lance lies at his feet to our right. The base has a coat of arms on the center front, and two animals, perhaps deer, lie to either side. The base is outlined in green or blue, and it rests on four brown, paw-shaped feet.

Inkstand with sleeping knight

Faenza 15th Century, Faenza 16th Century

late 15th/early 16th century

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 2015.19.4045

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M17

The sculpture depicts a richly adorned cup with ornate design elements. It has two handles shaped like mythological creatures with human-like upper bodies. The cup is made from dark, bronze-colored material with a rich patina. The surface is decorated with relief designs of figures and floral motifs. The sculpture evokes a historical artifact with detailed craftsmanship and textured surface. The size and shape suggest it is a display piece, appreciated for its aesthetic and artistic value.

Cup with Allegorical Scenes and Shields of Este Arms

Italian 16th Century

1560s

Bronze Accession ID 1942.9.132

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

This is a painting of a pastoral scene with figures around a central tree on a circular ceramic dish. The image depicts several nude and partially draped classical figures in a lush landscape. At the center, a figure is playing a lute, surrounded by others who appear to be listening or engaging in their own activities. The background includes greenery, distant architectural structures, a body of water, and a sky with soft clouds. This is in the style of Renaissance art.

Plate with Marsyas and his companions

Francesco Durantino

1545

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 2015.19.4006

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25

This is a colorfully decorated plate. At the center, a cherubic child with light skin and wings stands atop a large vase full of flame, holding a bow and surrounded by red, green, and white clouds. On the right, a woman with light skin adorned in elaborate yellow and blue clothing is seated on a chariot facing the left, her long blonde hair flowing backwards. At the back of her chariot, a naked child with light skin appears tied, with their hands behind their back. On the left of the plate are two large birds with longs necks and blue, yellow, and green feathers. They stand in front of the chariot, facing left. At the top is another cherub, flying over the scene with orange flame in both their hands. The background of the plate is a rich, dark blue, with more billowing red and green clouds surrounding the scene. The rim of the plate is gold.

Plate with Venus in her chariot and Cupid, riding through a night sky

Nicola da Urbino, Italian 16th Century

c. 1530/1535

Tin-glazed earthenware (maiolica) Accession ID 1942.9.336

On View: West Building Main Floor, Gallery M25