Mary demures before the kneeling angel
Title of Art: Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John
Subjects: Mary, Mother of God
Artist: Jacopino Del Conte
Art Form: Painting
Date of Composition: 1535-1545
Inscription Text: Madonna del latte
Exhibit Institution: Le Gallerie degli Uffizi (The Uffizi)
Exhibit Location: Florence, Italy
VM Image #: 0071
Photographer: Shala Graham
Date of Photograph: January 7, 2023
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Mary is shown kneeling, breastfeeding Jesus, with John the Baptist by her side. The earliest depictions of Mary breastfeeding were in the 6th century. In the middle of the 16th century, the Council of Trent deemed images of bare-breasted Mary as inappropriate. Michelangelo's influence is evident in this painting by Del Conte.
As a Mannerist painter, Jacopino del Conte’s style is evident in Mary’s elongated body, vibrant red and green outfit, and her strained position to support both Jesus on her lap and the young St. John who leans against her. Mary’s attention is not directed at Jesus, who is nursing at her breast, but toward St. John. Mary supports his vulnerable, naked body and gazes contemplatively into his face. John looks up at her and uses Mary's body to assist his attempt to stand up. This posture provokes interesting theological reflection: Mary is the mother of Jesus, but she also represents a gentle, motherly figure to St. John, even as she towers over him.