Comparing The di Credi's 'Madonna and Child' to Works of the Italian Renaissance

ART HISTORY 132
Baroque: Italian
Baroque: Italiancontext: ecclesiasticalCouncil of Trent (c.
1565)part of the larger [Catholic] Counter Reformationdefined
role assigned to arts in Catholic Churchheadings:1) clarity,
simplicity & intelligibility2) realistic interpretationin contrast
to Renaissance idealizationappropriateness of age, gender, type,
expression, gesture & dress3) emotional stimulus to piety
Bernini
(1598-1680)significance: successor to Michelangelounique
ability to capture essence of narrative momentaim: to
synthesize/unify sculpture, painting and architecture into
coherent conceptual and visual wholepatrons: many associated
w/ papacyearly age, came to attention of papal nephew,
Scipione Borgheseknighted at age 23, by Gregory XVUrban VII,
Alexander VII, Clement IXquality of naturalism: realismlight:
used as metaphorical device in religious settings often, hidden
light source intensifies focus of religious worship
Bernini
Bust of Scipione Borghese (1632)subject: portraiturepatron:

Cardinal Scipione Borghese maternal uncle elected to papacy as
Pope Paul V (1605)placed SB in charge of internal and external
political affairs entrusted w/ finances of papacy and Borghese
familyB’s first patron (c. 1618-24); also patron of
Caravaggiocomposition: dynamicnarrative moment: mid-
speechquality of naturalism: realistic
BerniniApollo and Daphne (1622-25)patron: Cardinal Scipione
Borghesesubject matter: early 17C Italian poetrysee Ovid’s
Metamorphoses intellectual context: frustrated desire and
enduring despair and pain, provoked by lovemeaning:
personal, special resonance for SB, who was widely ridiculed
for his attraction to other mennarrative moment:
transformativeA reaching out toward river nymph D, just as she
is transformed into laurel tree by her father prevent D from
being burned by touch of god of sunfigural type: androgynous
male (see Hellenistic Greek)
Bernini
David (c. 1625)patron: Cardinal Scipione
Borghesescommissioned to decorate Galleria Borghese at
private villastyle: “dynamic” tendenciesinfluences: Hellenistic
GreekBaroque qualities:spatial order: active vs. self-
containedrealism of detail & differentiation of texturedrapery:
abstract play of folds & crevasses attempting pictorial effects
traditionally outside sculpture’s domain
Classical Greek Discus Thrower (c. 450 BCE)
vs.

BERNINI’s Italian Baroque David (c. 1625 CE)
*
(Left) DONATELLO’s Italian Early Ren. David (c. 1450)
vs.
(right) BERNINI’s Italian Baroque David (c. 1625)
(Left) BERNINI’s Italian Baroque David (c. 1625)
vs.
(right) MICHELANGELO’s Italian High Ren David (c. 1500)
Bernini
Cornaro Chapel (c. 1650)function: funerary dedicated: Saint
Teresa mystic of Spanish Counter-Reformation 1st Carmelite
nun to be canonizedaesthetic influence: Humanism materials:
multimediamarble panelspainted ceilinggilded bronzesculpture
portraitslighting: windows, both hidden & apparent
Detail (“transverberation”) of Bernini’s
Ecstacy of St. Teresa

(c. 1650)
(Left) Detail of BERNINI’s Italian Baroque Ecstasy of St.
Teresa (c. 1650)
vs.
(right) MICHELANGELO’s High Renaissance Pietá (c. 1500)
Baroque: Italian
“Realist” tendencyCaravaggio (1573-1610)biography: in
permanent revolt against authorityfled
Rome because charged w/ manslaughterdied of malariastyle:
“realist” tendencyrejection of Mannerisminterest in surface
textures & appearanceshuman figure not prettifiednarrative:
heightened emotionmoment of recognition powerful
foreshortening light/shadow: dramatic chiaroscurospatial order:
systematically destroys space between event in
painting and viewer
CaravaggioCalling of St. Matthew (c. 1600)narrative:
NTmoment of recognitiongenre scene: anachronisticmundane
environmentcontemporary clothescomposition: dynamicnarrow
range of browns & flesh tones punctuated by primaries that
circulate vision through compositionlight: chiaroscuro &
“tenebrism”dark setting envelopes occupantssharply lit
figurese.g., Christ’s gesture highlighted by sharply descending
diagonal

Caravaggio
Conversion of St. Paul (c. 1600)narrative: NTmoment of
recognitionemotional stimulus to pietyfigures: realisticsetting:
ambiguous & distilledcomposition: clarity, simplicity &
intelligibilitycolor: narrow range punctuated by
complimentslighting: tenebrism & chiaroscurospatial order:
shallowdramatic foreshorteningoverlapping
CaravaggioEntombment (c. 1600)narrative: emotional stimulus
to pietyspatial order: shallow depth;
distilledforeshorteningoverlappingfigures:
realisticagednesscorpse of Christ discolored dangling
armcomposition: dynamiccompact, distilled arrangementvisually
coherentcolor: narrow range punctuated by primaries light:
“tenebrism” & chiaroscurodark backgroundselective
illuminationestablishes volume & mass
Caravaggio
Caravaggio’s Italian Baroque Entombment (c. 1600)
vs.
Raphael’s High Renaissance Deposition (c. 1500)

CARAVAGGIO’s Italian Baroque Entombment (c. 1600)
vs.
MICHELANGELO’s High Renaissance Pieta (c. 1500)
Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus
(c. 1600)
Baroque: Italian
“classicizing” tendencyCarracci (1560-1609)aesthetic:
“classicizing”movement against Mannerist artificiality training:
private teaching academy drawing from life & Roman
sculptures, coins, medallions clear draftsmanship medium:
fresco (“Grand Manner”)figures: heroic
characteristics:illusionistic surfacesHigh Renaissance
decorationdraws inspiration fromMichelangelo’s Sistine
ChapelRaphael’s frescos in Vatican
CARRACCI’s
“classicizing” tendency Italian Baroque
Flight into Egypt

(c. 1600)
Carracci Farnese Gallerystyle: “Classicizing”patron:
Farneseprogram: mythological themessee Ovid's
Metamorphosis also alludes poem written by Lorenzo de Medici
(c. 1475)format: illusionistic enhancement of
architectural space (“quadri riportati”)themes:
mythological moralizing messages hidden religious content
Carracci’s Triumph of Bacchus & Ariadne
Farnese Gallery (c. 1600)
CarracciFarnese Gallery (con’t.)Polyphemus & Galateasubject:
of ancient Greek sculpture Classical DiscobolusHellenistic
Laocoönreverses legsone arm extended down, other uphead
tilted
Carracci’s Italian Baroque Polyphemus and Galatea (c. 1600
CE)
vs.
Myron’s Classical Greek Discus Thrower (c. 450 BCE)

Carracci’s Italian Baroque Polyphemus and Galatea (c. 1600
CE)
vs.
Hellenistic Greek Laocoön (c. 150 BCE)
RENI’s “classicizing” tendency
Italian Baroque
Aurora
(1613-14)
IMAGE INDEXSlide 3: Portrait of Bernini by BACICCIO (c.
1665)Slide 4: BERNINI. Bust of Scipione Borghese (1632),
marble, 31in. high, Galleria Borghese, Rome.Slide 5:
BERNINI. Apollo and Daphne (1622-25), marble, 96 in.
high, Galleria Borghese, Rome.Slide 6:
BERNINI. David (c. 1625), Marble, , lifesize, Galleria
Borghese, Rome.Slide 7: Comparison between
Classical Greek Discuss Thrower (c. 450 BCE)
vs. BERNINI’s Baroque David (c. 1625).Slide 8: (Left)
DONATELLO’s Early Renaissance David (c. 1425);
and (right) BERNINI’s David (c. 1625)Slide 9: (Left)
MICHELANGELO’s HIGH Renaissance David (c.
1500); and (right) BERNINI’s David (c. 1625)Slide 10:
BERNINI. Cornaro Chapel (c. 1650), Church of Santa
Maria della Vittoria, Rome.Slide 11-12:
BERNINI. The Ecstasy of Saint Therese (c. 1650),

Marble, Cappella Cornaro, Santa Maria della
Vittoria, Rome.
IMAGE INDEXSlide 13: CARAVAGGIO. Detail of self-
portrait from David (1606- 07), Oil on wood, 90.5 x
116 cm, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.Slide 14:
CARAVAGGIO. The Calling of Saint Matthew (1600), Oil
on canvas, 10' 7 1/2" X 11' 2”, Contarelli
Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome.Slide
15: Detail of Christ and St. Peter from CARAVAGGIO’s
Calling of St. Matthew.Slide 16:CARAVAGGIO.
Conversion of St. Paul (1600-01), Oil on
canvas, 90 1/2 x 70 in., Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del
Popolo, Rome. Slide 17: CARAVAGGIO.
Entombment (c. 1600), Oil on canvas, 300x 203
cm., Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome.Slide 18: Detail of Mary
from CARAVAGGIO’s Entombment.Slide 19: Comparison
between CARAVAGGIO’s Entombment (c.
1600) vs. RAPHAEL’s High Renaissance Descent from the
Cross (c. 1500).
IMAGE INDEXSlide 20: CARRAVAGIO. Supper at Emmaus
(1601), Oil on canvas, 77 by 55 in., National Gallery,
London.Slide 21: Portrait of Annibale CARRACCI. Slide 22:
CARACCI. Flight into Egypt (c. 1603-04), Oil on canvas,
4’ x 7’6”, Galleria Doria Pamphili, Rome. Slide
23: CARACCI. Loves of the Gods (c. 1600), Ceiling frescoes
in the gallery, Palazzo Farnese, Rome.Slide 24:
CARRACCI. Bacchus and Ariadne, central ceiling panel
from Farnese Gallery (c. 1600).Slide 25:
CARRACCI. Polyphemus and Galatea, from Farnese
Gallery (c. 1600).Slide 26: Comparison between

(Left) CARRACCI’s Polyphemus and Galatea vs.
(right) Classical Greek Discuss Thrower (c. 450
BCE).Slide 27: Comparison between (left) CARRACCI’s
Polyphemus and Galatea vs. (right)
Hellenistic Greek Laocoön (c. 200 BCE).Slide 28: RENI.
Aurora (1613-14), ceiling fresco in the Casino
Rospigliosi,Rome.
Require
Once having The di Credi's "Madonna and Child" (c. 1500), pay
close attention to stylistic features (i.e., composition, color, use
of light/shadow, perspective, figures, pose, gestures, et al).
Describe the object and compare/contrast it to pieces we have in
the PowerPoint lectures or in the textbook. When selecting
objects to compare the museum piece to, be discerning. That is,
try to find objects that share more characteristics than not. The
aim of this assignment is for students to develop an eye for
style and to locate the subtle differences that distinguish one
technique or tendency from another.
Organize the paper, which should be five to seven (5-7) pages
in length, into an introductory paragraph, body, and conclusion.
The introduction may include some general information (e.g.,
historical, economic, cultural) about the object's specific time
period, the technique utilized to create the object, etc. More
importantly, the introduction should include a thesis statement
about the object's overall aesthetic. Then organize the body in a
logical, analytic fashion, and conclude the paper with some
remarks about the significance of the object -- that is, how it
fits into a larger Renaissance to Rococo art historical
framework.
Remember, this is NOT a research paper; however, if you quote
a source (e.g., a placard or web site from the museum), be sure
to cite it.

Visual analysis about di Credi's "Madonna and Child" offers no
thesis statement; instead, it looks to outside sources that
contribute nothing to a discussion about aesthetics. (p. 1)
Informal use of language (i.e., "mum") and lack of proper
punctuation (e.g., periods) (p. 2)
Discussion about color uses a term ("dull") that has not been
suggested as a technical phrase; and the term "ancient" is used
improperly. (p. 2)
Discussion about use of light and shadow does not effectively
use terminology introduced in the course and is ineffective at
describing di Credi's piece. (p. 2)
Comparison to Michelangelo's "Pieta" is a stretch, when there
any number of examples of the same theme that could have been
selected to compare to di Credi's piece. (p. 3) Likewise, the
discussion about color (p. 3) is ineffective, given that the two
objects being compared are different media; and the comparison
to Caravaggio's "Entombment" is a different subject matter and
has too many difference to make a persuasive argument. (p. 4)
Conclusion offers no commentary about the aesthetic
significance of di Credi's piece. (p. 5)
1
4
Visual Analysis Paper on di Credi's "Madonna and Child" (c.
1500) Image
The di Credi's "Madonna and Child" (c. 1500) image is one of
the first Florentine panel paints which are known currently to
have been produced with a paint medium that consists of oil for
color pigments. This method of painting is said to appear first

in the northern paintingin the first half of the 15th century
which rapidly spread until his time. The technique of painting
was adopted fist in Italian who developed it to meet the
appropriate standards.
The painting led to the widespread of the commonly rounded
Florentine type of depiction. It is very attractive and most
religious foundation have used the image in expression of Jesus
and His mother Marry during the child’s tender age (Gelfand,
2000). It’s commonly used and founded to be one of the
expensive and precious paintings in the world. The panel is said
to be very minor when compared by Italian standards but its
regard is extensively expressed in relation to other many
paintings that are said to be the most regarded in the ancient
times.
The image comprises of a child and a mother sitting near a
window. The mother holds the baby with her right hand as the
child holds her the left hand. She is dressed in a dress gown that
consists of yellow lining from the inside and a blue outer cover
.She is also wearing a reddish dress and she is covering her
head with a bluish net. The child is covered with a cream white
piece of cloth and he sits on a brown clothe. At the window, the
place looks like an old ancient city and a river is seen flowing
through the large buildings. One can conclude from the picture
that the mother is sitting on a high place whereby she may look
on other building structures within the city
The boy child looks settled and perplexed as the mum is
expressively looking at her child with compassionate and
motherly love. They both seem expressively connected in love
and very relaxed. With their appearance, it looks like they are
alone with no one to talk to. Though relaxed, from their
expression, they seem to have a lot to accomplish and with
wonder they are thinking on the current situation. Though the
mother to the child looks with a loving glare at her baby, she
stills appears to have thoughts which might be scary hence
making her to be moody
The color contrast of the portrait is dull and it does not clearly

reflect of the true incident of the appearance hence depicting
that the image is an ancient type of a portrait. The shadowing of
the picture has a background of a black color which shows that
the portrait represents a cool whether condition. It is
considerably attractive in view concerning the expertise that is
illustrated by the drawing. In relation to what it represents, that
is, Mary and his son, the portrait creates an imaginative picture
of what was happening during those times and it brings a good
expression of how the baby and Mary were looking during those
ancient times.
In terms of the picture content, MICHELANGELO’s High
Renaissance Pieta (c. 1500) image shows a lady holding
someone who appears to be dead or asleep (Kleinbub, 2013). In
this case, the one who is held is a grown up and the lady who
holds him seems to be older unlike the one in di Credi's
"Madonna and Child" (c. 1500) image. Both pictures have only
one feature of actions, they express emotional feeling of the
representative parties.
The first image shows a mother emotionally feeling for his son,
in the second image, a grown lady who might be probably
feeling for his or her husband. Though not fully depicted in the
second image who is held, likely in the first image the
assumption is that the baby belongs to the woman. The woman
in the second picture looks sorrowful unlike the first image
whereby the woman looks caringly to her child. It might not be
the husband but his son, though he looks to be a grown up child.
In relation to color, contrast and shadowing, both pictures
express different category of contrast and shadowing. The color
are also different for both the pictures. In the second image, the
characters are shown in a silver color, which shows that it’s just
a curved image and the first picture is a drawn image. The
caricature of the first image has more colors than the second
image. The contrast of the second image is less clear if
compared with the first caricature. The background setting of
the picture suggests that the setting is in a closed place. This

evidence is illustrated by the wall that is seen behind the
characters in the picture. Also the dressing style and the
appearance of the lady may suggest that she might be a queen.
Likewise the appearance of the person held suggests that he is
dead or badly ill, unlike the first image (di Credi's "Madonna
and Child”), the lady in the picture looks simple. Closely
considering the second image, the gesture of the character may
suggest that she is praying. It looks like her eyes are closed and
she is bleeding in prayer of the healing or revival of the person
in her hands. All this gestures from the picture are controversial
and they suggest different moods of the characters and setting
.This illustrations created different imaginative thoughts of
what the caricatures portrays.
When comparing both the images discussed from above, they
both have different features. For this third image, it shows only
a head of an elderly person bowed down sorrowfully. The
person has covered the head with a faded bluish clothe from the
outside and a crème white from the inside. In comparison with
other images, the person looks much older and very worried. In
the earlier images, the ladies looked relatively young but in this
Caravaggio image, the person’s forehead is wrinkled and the
chicks are sunk hence suggesting that she is older.
The divergence of the image is clear, that is, it has a high
contrast which is almost similar to the first image. It’s difficult
to identify the background setting of the picture but from the
appearance of the character in the picture and how she has
lowly bent her head, it is clear that the person may be sitting in
a strategic way thinking of something. Elusively, he might be
thinking of some bad times in the past. As for the di Credi's
"Madonna and Child” image, the women looks like worried of
what will happen for the child, that is , she is thinking of the
future.
The elderly person looks educative and knowledgeable and tired
of life. The image does not expressly reflect what the person is
troubled from but it can show that the person is much troubled
and fed-up. In the first two images, it is suggestively depicted

that both women are troubled of the child and the grown up boy.
They both have got different expectations from the scenario
representation of the portrait. The background is different for
both the image, although in the Caravaggio image, the
background cannot be well illustrated but it can be depicted that
the character is in a dark place looking down at something while
thinking. This depiction is evident from the black background
color from the picture.
Considering the three images, that is, MICHELANGELO’s High
Renaissance Pieta (c. 1500), the di Credi's "Madonna and
Child” and Caravaggio image, different moods are expressed
and all the characters have got different types of emotional
feelings which cannot conclusively be said to be from life.
Likely, many conclusive statement can be given from the image
concerning the existence, surrounding and the actions being
performed in relation to the portraits depending on an
individual’s point of view when he or she looks at the image.
Ultimately, different illustrative measures can be said
concerning the pictures. Considerably, the images have been
used for long time and they are regarded to have a historical
connection to the ancient times (Carruthers & Ziolkowski,
2003). They are of benefit for historical art development and
current beliefs in religion and societal history .The images are
treasured and highly valued due to the type of proficiency they
exhibit.
References
Carruthers, M., & Ziolkowski, J. M. (2003). The medieval craft
of memory: an anthology of texts
and
pictures. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Gelfand, L. D. (2000). Devotion, Imitation, and Social
Aspirations: Fifteenth-Century Bruges
and a
Memling School Madonna and Child. Cleveland Studies in the

History of Art, 5,
6-19.
Kleinbub, C. K. (2013). To Sow the Heart: Touch, Spiritual
Anatomy, and Image Theory in
Michelangelo’s Noli me tangere. Renaissance Quarterly,66(1),
81-129.

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