1. Evolution of the Virgin and Child
Michael Dozsa
Survey of Art History
Spring 2014

2. Introduction
This presentation will show you not only the
evolution of paintings depicting the Virgin and Child but
also the progression of painting from the fourteenth to
the sixteenth century; As well as from different locations
around Europe.
From Cimabue to Jan Hossaert, Italy to Germany
the representation of the Virgin Mary with an infant Jesus
has been reproduced throughout time, and many
different art styles. This symbolic image shows up
throughout Europe due to one of the main political
powers of the time being the Catholic church.

3. With that political power in addition to their
considerable wealth commissioned a majority of
artwork within the period. Art of the time was a
product of the wealthy, unsurprising considering the
time and dedication it took to become not just a
successful painter but to complete one of these
masterful works, in contrast today where art seems
hurried and is available to the masses with simple and
cheap reproduction.
Hopefully this exhibit will show you the
progression of painting and art that these masters of
their time honed their skills over a lifetime to create.

4. • Cimabue (Italian)
• Virgin and Child Enthroned
• C. 1280
• Tempera and Gold on Wood
• Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

5. Thirteenth Century Italy
This piece starts our journey with
Cimabue’s Virgin and Child Enthroned.
Standing at 12 and a half feet tall this shows
the art of Tempera, using egg yolk (or other
similar materials) to create a fast drying but
very resilient paint. As you can see the earlier
styles show some depth but certainly are not
quite as lifelike as paintings later on in the
presentation.

6. • Dieric Bouts (Flemish, c.1415-1475)
• Virgin and Child
• C. 1455-1460
• Oil on Wood Panel
• Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• pg580

7. Fifteenth Century Flanders
Jump a little further down the line to 1455, oil painting
was emerging as a preferred style in Flemish art. As
opposed to tempera, oil paints dries slowly and allows
much more simple corrections. This painting shows the
difference very clearly, the depth being much more
profound. In addition to the depth you can see another
obvious difference in how the Virgin and Child are
displayed, with obvious affection as opposed to the regal
disposition in the earlier work.

8. • Giovanni Bellini (Venetian, c. 1430-1516)
• Virgin and Child Enthroned with SS. Francis, John the
Baptist, Job, Dominic, Sebastian, and Louis of Toulouse
• C. 1478
• Oil on Wood Panel
• Reconstruction resides in Galleria dell’Accademia, Venice

9. Fifteenth Century Italy
Another step forward in the illusion of
depth is Giovanni Bellini’s version of the Virgin
and Child. This show’s the improvements
made toward realism in painting. While
showing as much or more surface detail than
Dieric Bouts piece it also gives the illusion of a
tunnel into the wall. Spectacular difference
from just 15-20 years ago.

10. • Jan Gossaert (French, c.1478-1533)
• St. Luke Drawing the Virgin Mary (1520)
• Oil on Panel
• Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

11. Sixteenth Century Italian Romanism
This painting is different from the rest in
that it’s not just the Virgin and Child but also
St. Luke, supposedly seeing a heavenly
apparition of them so he could show his
fellow Christian followers an accurate
representation of them. The roman influences
in his paintings are apparent from classical
architecture and decorative style. Lastly
though this is the most famous, he created
many works depicting the Virgin and Child.

12. • Parmigianino (Italian, c.1503-1540)
• Madonna With the Long Neck (1534-2540)
• Oil on Wood Panel
• Galleria degli Uffizi

13. Sixteenth Century Italian Mannerism
This shows a major shift in the way the
subject is portrayed. As opposed to the others
which both pushed for as much realism or
idealization within their media as possible,
Madonna with the Long Neck is in the
emerging Mannerist style; The extra long
extremities and a tiny saint making it look
incredibly unnatural but visually enticing at
the same time.

14. Bibliography
• "Dieric Bouts: Virgin and Child" (30.95.280) In
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-
art/30.95.280. (October 2006)
• "Jan Gossaert." Getty.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr.
2014.
<http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMaker
Details?maker=707>.
• Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History Fourteenth to
Seventeenth Century Art. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.