Giovanni Bellini.—Madonna between St. George and St. Paul. (Detail.)Giovanni Bellini.—Madonna between St. George and St. Paul. (Detail.)
The FrariMadonna is of a more subdued type, but is not less true to her ideal. The Virgin of San Zaccaria is more thoughtful and reflective, but she holds her child up bravely, that he may give his blessing to mankind.
It will have been noticed that the throne is an especially appropriate setting for the Madonna as Witness. It is one of the functions of royalty that the queen should show the prince to his people. We therefore turn naturally to this class of pictures for examples. To those of Bellini just cited we may add, from the others mentioned in the second chapter, the Madonnas by Cima, by Palma, and by Montagna in Venetian Art; and by Luini and by Botticelli in the Lombard and Florentine schools respectively. Luini's picture is one which readily touches the heart. The Virgin unites the sweetness of fresh, youngmotherhood with womanly dignity of character. Her smile has nothing of mystery in it; it is simply sweet and winning. The Christ-child is a lovely boy, steadying himself against his mother's breast, and yet with an air of self-reliance. The two understand each other well.
Luini.—Madonna with St. Barbara and St.Anthony.Luini.—Madonna with St. Barbara and St.Anthony.
One could hardly imagine two more dissimilar spirits than Luini and Botticelli. To Luini's Virgin, the consciousness of her son's greatness is a proud honor, accepted seriously, but gladly. To Botticelli, on the other hand, it brings a profound melancholy. This is so marked that at first sight almost every one is repelled by Botticelli, and yields only after long familiarity to the mysterious fascination of the sad-eyed Madonna, who holds her babe almost listlessly, as her head droops with the weight of her sorrow. Her expression is the same whatever herattitude, when she presses her babe to her bosom as the Mater Amabilis (in the Borghese Gallery at Rome, in the Dresden Gallery, and Louvre), or when, as witness to her son's destiny, she holds him forth to be seen of men. It is in this last capacity that her mood is most intelligible. She seems oppressed rather than humbled by her honors; reluctant, rather than glad to assume them; yet, with proud dignity, determined to do her part, though her heart break in the doing. Her nature is too deep to accept the joy without counting the cost, and her vision looks beyond Bethlehem to Calvary. This is well illustrated in the picture of the Berlin Gallery.[6]The queenmother rises with the prince to receive the homage of humanity. The boy, old beyond his years, gravely raises his right hand to bless his people, the other still clinging, with infantile grace, to the dress of his mother. Lovely, rose-crowned angels hold court on either side, bearing lighted tapers in jars of roses.
[6]The Berlin Gallery contains two Enthroned Madonnas attributed to Botticelli. The description here, and on page 40 makes it clear that the reference is to the picture numbered 102. This does not appear in Berenson's list of Botticelli's works, but is treated as authentic by Crowe and Cavalcaselle.
[6]The Berlin Gallery contains two Enthroned Madonnas attributed to Botticelli. The description here, and on page 40 makes it clear that the reference is to the picture numbered 102. This does not appear in Berenson's list of Botticelli's works, but is treated as authentic by Crowe and Cavalcaselle.
The Madonna of the Pomegranate is another work by Botticelli which belongs in this class of pictures. It is atondoin the Uffizi, showing the figures in half length. The Virgin, encircled by angels, holds the child half reclining on her lap. Her face is inexpressibly sad, and the child shares her mood, as he raises his little hand to bless the spectator. Two angels bear the Virgin's flowers, roses and lilies; two others hold books. They bend towards the queen as the petals of a rose bend towards the centre, with the serious grace peculiar to Botticelli.
Botticelli.—Madonna of the Pomegranate.Botticelli.—Madonna of the Pomegranate.
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In connection with the peculiar type of melancholy exhibited on the face of Botticelli's Madonna, it will be of interest to refer to the work of Francia. The two artists were, in some points, kindred spirits; both felt the burden of life's mystery and sorrow. Francia, as we have seen, imbibed from the works of Perugino something of the spirit of mysticism common to the Umbrian school. But while there is a certain resemblance between his Madonna and Perugino's, the former has less of sentimentality than the latter, and more real melancholy. Like Botticelli's Virgin, she acts her part half-heartedly, as if the sword had already begun to pierce her heart. Francia's favorite Madonna subjects were of the higher order, the Madre Pia and the Madonna as Witness. In treating the latter, his Christ-child is always in keeping with the mother, a grave little fellow who gives the blessing with almost touching dignity. Enthroned Madonnas illustrating the theme are those of the Hermitage at St. Petersburg, of the Belvedere at Vienna, and the famous Bentivoglio Madonna in S. Jacopo Maggiore at Bologna. The last-named is one of the works which enable us to understand Raphael's high praise of the Bolognese master. It is a noble composition, full of strong religious feeling.
Murillo.—Madonna and Child.Murillo.—Madonna and Child.
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It is a long leap from the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries, taking us from a period of genuine religious fervor in art, into an age of artificial imitation. In the midst of the decadence of old ideals and the birth of art methods entirely new, arose one who seemed to be the reincarnation of the old spirit in a form peculiar to his age and race. This was Murillo, the peasant-painter of Spain, than whom was never artist more pious, not even excepting the angelic brother of San Marco.He alone in the seventeenth century kept alive the pure flame of religious fervor, which had burned within the devout Italians of the early school. Through all his pictures of the Virgin and child we can see that the Madonna as the Christ-bearer is the ideal he always has in view. He falls short of it, not through any lack of earnestness, but because his type of womanhood is incapable of expressing such lofty idealism. His virgins are modelled upon the simple Andalusian maidens, sweet, timid, dark-eyed creatures. Their faces glow with gentle affection as they look wistfully out of the picture, or raise their eyes to heaven, as if dimly discerning the heights which they have never reached.
The Pitti Madonna is one of this sweet company, and perhaps the loveliest of them all. Both she and her beautiful boy are full of gentle earnestness, and if theyare too simple-minded to realize what is in store for them, they are none the less ready to do the Father's will.
One more picture remains for us to consider as an illustration of the Madonna as Witness. Had we mentioned it first, nothing further could have been said on the subject. The Sistine Madonna is the greatest ever produced, from every point of view. We have already noted the superiority of its artistic composition over all other enskied Madonnas, and are the more ready to appreciate its higher merits; for its strongest hold upon our admiration is in its moral and religious significance. Its theme is the transfiguration of loving and consecrated motherhood. Mother and child, united in love, move towards the glorious consummation of the heavenly kingdom.
Raphael.—Sistine Madonna.Raphael.—Sistine Madonna.
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It has been said that Raphael made no preparatory studies for this Madonna,but, in a larger sense, he spent his life in preparation for it. He had begun by imitating the mystic sweetness of Perugino's types, drawn by an intuitive delicacy of perception to this spiritual idealism, while yet too inexperienced to express any originality. Then, by an inevitable reaction, he threw himself into the creation of a purely naturalistic Madonna, and carried the Mater Amabilis to its utmost perfection. Having mastered all the secrets of woman's beauty, he returned once more to the higher realm of idealism to send forth his matured conception of the Madonna as the Christ-bearer.
The Sistine Madonna is above all words of praise; all extravagance of expression is silenced before her simplicity. Hers is the beauty of symmetrically developed womanhood; the perfect poise of her figure is not more marked than theperfect poise of her character. Not one false note, not one exaggerated emphasis, jars upon the harmony of body, soul, and spirit. Confident, but entirely unassuming; serious, but without sadness; joyous, but not to mirthfulness; eager, but without haste; she moves steadily forward with steps timed to the rhythmic music of the spheres. The child is no burden, but a part of her very being. The two are one in love, thought, and purpose. Sharing the secret of his sacred calling, the mother bears her son forth to meet his glorious destiny.
Art can pay no higher tribute to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, than to show her in this phase of her motherhood. We sympathize with her maternal tenderness, lavishing fond caresses upon her child. We go still deeper into her experience when we see her bowed in sweet humility before the cares and duties she is calledupon to assume. But we are admitted to the most cherished aspirations of her soul, when we see her oblivious of self, carrying her child forth to the service of humanity. It is thus that she becomes one of his "witnesses unto the people;" it is thus that "all generations shall call her blessed."
Mrs. Anna Jameson: The Legends of the Madonna. Boston, 1896.
Crowe and Cavalcaselle: History of Painting in Italy. London, 1864. History of Painting in North Italy. London, 1871. Titian: His Life and Times. London, 1877.
Kugler: Handbook of the Italian Schools, revised by A.H. Layard. London, 1887. Handbook of the German, Flemish, and Dutch Schools, revised by J.A. Crowe. London, 1889.
Morelli: Critical Studies of the Italian Painters. Translated by Constance Jocelyn Ffoulkes. London, 1892.
J.A. Symonds: Renaissance in Italy: The Fine Arts. New York, 1888.
Walter H. Pater: Studies in the History of the Renaissance. London, 1873.
Bernhard Berenson: The Venetian Painters of the Renaissance. New York, 1894. The Florentine Painters of the Renaissance. New York, 1896.
Karl Károly: A Guide to the Paintings of Florence. London and New York, 1893. A Guide to the Paintings of Venice. London and New York, 1895.
C.C. Perkins: Tuscan Sculptors. London, 1864.
Cavalucci et Molinier: Les Della Robbia: leur vie et leur œuvre. Paris, 1884.
Eugene Müntz: Raphael. Translated by Walter Armstrong. London, 1882.
Albertinelli, Madonna in the Pitti,172.Angelico, Fra, Madonna della Stella,66-69,132.Barabino, N., Mater Amabilis,154.Barocci, F., Madonna del Gatto,126.Bartolommeo, Madonna in the Capella Giovanato,30;Madonnas in the Florence Academy,31;Enthroned Madonna in the Pitti,42,47.Basaiti, Madonna in the National Gallery,177.Bellini, Giovanni, Madonna of San Giobbe,50,188;Frari Madonna,50,191;Madonna of San Zaccaria,50-53,191;Madonna between St. Paul and St. George,188;Madonna in the National Gallery,188;Madonna in the Brera,188.Bellini, Jacopo, Madonna in the Venice Academy,25.Bodenhausen, Madonna,90,154.Bonifazio Veronese, Seven pictures of the Santa Conversazione,115.Botticelli, Enthroned Madonna at Berlin,40,191,195,196;Madonna in the Borghese,195;Madonna in the Dresden Gallery,195;Madonna in the Louvre,195;Madonna of the Pomegranate,196;Madonna of the Inkhorn,59.Bouguereau, Enthroned Madonna,64;Madonna of the Angels,90;Mater Amabilis,154.Byzantine Madonna in the Ara Coeli,25;in S. Maria in Cosmedino,25;in St. Mark's,25,185;at Padua,25.Cano, Alonzo, Madonna of Bethlehem,32.Caroto, Gianfrancesco, Madonna in Sant' Anastasia,80;Madonna in San Giorgio,80;Madonna in San Fermo Maggiore,80.Cavazzola, seeMorando.Cima, Enthroned Madonna in the Venice Academy,49,191.Cimabue, Ruccellai Madonna,38-39.Conti, Bernardino de', Madonna in the Hermitage Gallery,146.Correggio, Madonnas in Dresden,45;Madonna of St. Sebastian,70;Madonna in the Uffizi,106,136;La Zingarella,106,137,146;Madonna della Cesta,136;Madonna della Scala,138,141.Credi, Lorenzo di, Nativity in the Uffizi,171.Crivelli, Carlo, Use of Crown by,59.Dagnan-Bouveret, Mater Amabilis,154.Defregger, Franz, Madonna at Dölsach,184;Madonna in Glory,90,184.Dolce, Carlo, Madonna,148.Dürer, Woodcut,60;Madonna in "garden inclosed,"115;Madonna in the Belvedere,150-153;Virgin on the Crescent Moon,89,149.Eyck, Van, Madonna in Frankfort,60,149.Fiesole, Mino da, Altar-piece at Fiesole,168.Francia, Madonna of the Rose Garden,115,161;Enthroned Madonna in the Hermitage,200;Enthroned Madonna in the Belvedere,200;Bentivoglio Madonna,200.Ghirlandajo, Enthroned Madonna in the Uffizi,40;Madonna in the Florence Academy,172.Giorgione, Madonna of Castel-Franco,54;Madonna in Madrid,54.Guay, Mater Amabilis,154.Holbein, Meyer Madonna,60,149.Ittenbach, Enthroned Madonna,64.Leonardo da Vinci, seeVinci.Libri, Girolamo dai, Madonna in San Giorgio Maggiore, Verona,48;Madonna of St. Andrew and St. Peter,81.Lippi, Filippino, Madonna in the Pitti,115-116,172.Lippi, Filippo, Madonna in the Berlin Gallery,172,174;Madonnas in the Florence Academy,174;Madonna in the Uffizi,174-177.Lotto, Madonna of S. Bartolommeo,48;Santa Conversazione,115.Luini, Madonna between St. Anthony and St. Barbara,45,191-192;Pastoral Madonna,104-105.Macomber, Mary L., Madonna,154.Mantegna, Madonna of Victory,41,48.Mariotto, Bernardino di, Madonna,47.Massys, Quentin, Enthroned Madonna in the Berlin Gallery,63,132;Madonna in the Munich Gallery,121.Max, Gabriel, Madonnas,35,154.Memling, Madonna at Bruges,60.Mignard, La Vierge à la Grappe,126.Montagna, Madonna in the Brera,40,191.Morando, Madonna in Glory in Verona Gallery,81.Moretto, Madonna of S. Clemente,48;Madonna of St. John the Evangelist,77;Madonna of San Giorgio Maggiore,77;Madonna in the Berlin Gallery,78-79.Müller, Carl, Mater Amabilis,154.Murano, Giovanni da, Use of Crown by,59.Murillo, Madonna of the Napkin,32;Holy Family of the Bird,126;Madonna in the Pitti,203-204.Palma, Enthroned Madonna at Vicenza,49,191;Santa Conversazione at Naples,111;Santa Conversazione at Dresden,111;Santa Conversazione at Munich,111;Santa Conversazione at Vienna,111,112.Perugino, Enthroned Madonna in the Vatican,45;Madonna in the National Gallery,160.Pinturicchio, Madonna in St. Andrea, Perugia,46.Raphael, Ansidei Madonna,46,133;Madonna of St. Anthony,47;Baldacchino Madonna,47;Madonna of the Casa Alba,99;the Chair Madonna,134;the Colonna Madonna,133;the Conestabile Madonna,133;Madonna of the Diadem,147;Foligno Madonna,82-85;Granduca Madonna,29;Madonna of the Goldfinch,93,97,98;Holy Family of Francis I.,133;Holy Family of the Lamb,100,105;Madonna dell' Impannata,125;Belle Jardinière,93,97,98;Madonna in the Meadow,93,97,98,99,104;Orleans Madonna,126,133;Sistine Madonna,85,204,208;Tempi Madonna,30,133.Rembrandt, Le Ménage du Menuisier in the Louvre,127;in St. Petersburg,127;Madonna in the Munich Gallery,127-128.Reni, Guido, Madonna,147.Robbia, Andrea della, Popular tabernacle,164;Nativity,167.Robbia, Giovanni, Son of Andrea,162.Robbia, Girolamo della, Son of Andrea,162.Robbia, Luca della, Founder of his school,162.Robbia, Luca della, II., Son of Andrea,162.Romano, Giulio, Madonna della Catina,125;his work on the Madonna dell' Impannata,125;Madonna in a Bedchamber,125.Rossellino, Antonio, Nativity in San Miniato,167.Rubens, Holy Families,149.Salimbeni, Holy Family,126.Sarto, Andrea del, Madonna di San Francesco,42;Madonna in the Berlin Gallery,69.Sassoferrato, Madonna in Vatican Gallery,89;Madonna with Sleeping Child,148.Savoldo, Madonna in the Brera,79.Schongauer, Madonna in Munich,60;Holy Family,121-123.Siena, Guido da, Madonna,38.Signorelli, Nativity in the National Gallery,172.Sodoma, Madonna in the Brera,104(note).Solario, Madonna of the Green Cushion,146.Lo Spagna, Madonna once attributed to,73.Spanish School, Madonna in the Dresden Gallery,89.Tintoretto, Madonna in the Berlin Gallery,89.Titian, Vierge au Lapin,115(note),142;Madonna of the Cherries,141(note);Madonnas and Saints at Dresden,141(note);Madonna with Sts. Ulfo and Brigida,142;Madonna with Roses,142;Madonna and Saints,145;Pesaro Madonna,56.Titian, School of, Madonna in Berlin,177.Umbrian School, Madonna by, in the National Gallery,73-74.Veronese, Madonna in the Venice Academy,56.Vinci, Leonardo da, Madonna of the Rocks,100-104.Vivarini, Bartolommeo, Madonnas,178.Vivarini, Luigi, Madonna in the Church of the Redentore,178.
Art SeriesTHE MADONNA IN ARTEstelle M. Hurll.CHILD LIFE IN ARTEstelle M. Hurll.ANGELS IN ARTClara Erskine Clement.LOVE IN ARTMary Knight Potter.
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