GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This devotional panel by Bacchiacca, a leading artist at the court of the Medici in Florence, has the quintessential elements of Mannerism, an artistic style that originated in early 16th century Italy which valued artistic invention and elegance over the imitation of nature. Here, the proportions of the Virgin have been gracefully elongated and the colors of her clothes are especially vivid. Her carefully looped locks of hair emerge from a turban of deep green and raspberry red, contrasting with the pale, almost marble-like tint of her skin. To the left, a goldfinch drinks water pouring out of the rockface. While the exquisite rendering of the crystal cup serves as an expression of the artist’s virtuosity, the bird foreshadows Christ’s Passion, as a goldfinch was thought to have been splattered by Christ’s blood as he carried the cross on his way to Calvary.
Excerpt from
Julien Domercq, Label text (1975.72), 2020
NOTES
Created c. 1525
Checked Piction
DMA label copy: In Florence, from about 1520 until the end of the 16th century, mannerism emerged in conscious defiance of the High Renaissance. Instead of conforming to the Renaissance conception of idealized proportions and beauty, mannerist paintings such as Bacchiacca's exhibit exaggerated body proportions, uncertain spatial settings, and discordant color combinations. The goldfinch, whose preferred habitat was thought to be thorn bushes, represents the crown of thorns and therefore Christ's Passion.
5/13/2020- Covid-19 closure; Online sprint devoted to European galleries; Julien wrote or re-wrote 9 European object labels and has asked Emily Schiller to try to make this content available online by 5/17/2020. As with most content on the online collection, this text has not been edited by Queta. This text is the original draft from Julien and will be edited for interpretation standards and routed as a wall label in Fall 2020.
Online content prior to 5/13/2020:
The Florentine artist Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi, better known by his nickname Bacchiacca, trained with Perugino and worked for the Medici court. Although born the same year as the great mannerist artists Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino, Bacchiacca was a more classical painter and limited his mannerist tendencies to an exaggerated elegance of line and intensity of color. Both qualities are evident in this small painting of the Madonna with the infant Christ and young John the Baptist. Bacchiacca presents the figures in profile, emphasizing their sinuous sihouettes. The Madonna is dressed in multicolored robes and adorned with gold brooches on her breast and in her elaborate turban. The goldfinch drinking from a crystal cup at left is a symbolic reference to events of the Passion, foreshadowing the future sacrifice of the infant Christ. Bacchiacca was much appreciated by his contemporaries for his sensitive and naturalistic depictions of birds and animals.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Madonna and Child with St. John," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 148.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Bacchiacca (Italian, 1494-1557)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Florence (Italy): TGN: 7000457
Process/materials
Oil on panel
Historical periods
Individuals
Jesus Christ
Mary
St. John
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~View another Madonna and child painting by Bacchiacca.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1975.72
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
This devotional panel by Bacchiacca, a leading artist at the court of the Medici in Florence, has the quintessential elements of Mannerism, an artistic style that originated in early 16th century Italy which valued artistic invention and elegance over the imitation of nature. Here, the proportions of the Virgin have been gracefully elongated and the colors of her clothes are especially vivid. Her carefully looped locks of hair emerge from a turban of deep green and raspberry red, contrasting with the pale, almost marble-like tint of her skin. To the left, a goldfinch drinks water pouring out of the rockface. While the exquisite rendering of the crystal cup serves as an expression of the artist’s virtuosity, the bird foreshadows Christ’s Passion, as a goldfinch was thought to have been splattered by Christ’s blood as he carried the cross on his way to Calvary.
Excerpt from
Julien Domercq, Label text (1975.72), 2020
Fun Facts
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
Created c. 1525
Checked Piction
DMA label copy: In Florence, from about 1520 until the end of the 16th century, mannerism emerged in conscious defiance of the High Renaissance. Instead of conforming to the Renaissance conception of idealized proportions and beauty, mannerist paintings such as Bacchiacca's exhibit exaggerated body proportions, uncertain spatial settings, and discordant color combinations. The goldfinch, whose preferred habitat was thought to be thorn bushes, represents the crown of thorns and therefore Christ's Passion.
5/13/2020- Covid-19 closure; Online sprint devoted to European galleries; Julien wrote or re-wrote 9 European object labels and has asked Emily Schiller to try to make this content available online by 5/17/2020. As with most content on the online collection, this text has not been edited by Queta. This text is the original draft from Julien and will be edited for interpretation standards and routed as a wall label in Fall 2020.
Online content prior to 5/13/2020:
The Florentine artist Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi, better known by his nickname Bacchiacca, trained with Perugino and worked for the Medici court. Although born the same year as the great mannerist artists Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino, Bacchiacca was a more classical painter and limited his mannerist tendencies to an exaggerated elegance of line and intensity of color. Both qualities are evident in this small painting of the Madonna with the infant Christ and young John the Baptist. Bacchiacca presents the figures in profile, emphasizing their sinuous sihouettes. The Madonna is dressed in multicolored robes and adorned with gold brooches on her breast and in her elaborate turban. The goldfinch drinking from a crystal cup at left is a symbolic reference to events of the Passion, foreshadowing the future sacrifice of the infant Christ. Bacchiacca was much appreciated by his contemporaries for his sensitive and naturalistic depictions of birds and animals.
Excerpt from
Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Madonna and Child with St. John," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 148.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Bacchiacca (Italian, 1494-1557)
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Florence (Italy): TGN: 7000457
Process/materials
Oil on panel
Historical periods
Individuals
Jesus Christ
Mary
St. John
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1975.72
source file
object_notes_1_a-0019.xml.nores