Madonna of Humility

tempera and gold on wood panelCaterino Veneziano (Italian, active 1362–82)/late 1370s

Description

The Madonna is shown seated on the ground as she nurses the infant Christ in a style of depiction called the "Madonna (or Virgin) of Humility." This type of image shows Mary’s humility, or humilitas in Latin, sitting on the earth just with a cushion in contrast to her usual depiction with a throne. The virtue of humility was propagated especially by St. Francis of Assisi and found its way into painting since the 1350s in the wake of the Black Death.

Provenance

Private Collection, Italy (Information supplied by Heinemann-- once cited as Prince Umberto of Italy); Baron Thyssen, Schloss Rohoncz, Lugano, Switzerland (1930 collection catalogue); Rudolf J. Heinemann (1901-1975), New York, NY, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Dimensions

79.6 × 54.6 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

Medieval Art

Accession No

1963.500

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of Caterino Veneziano (Italian, active 1362–82)

Medieval Art • Italy • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery