Madonna and Child with Seraphim and Cherubim

The composition of this touching image, which may date to about 1454, is inspired by the sculpture of Donatello, who worked at Padua between 1443 and 1453. Its emotional intensity is compromised by abrasion to the paint surface (the face of the Virgin is almost obliterated). Only the cherubim on the right are well preserved. The illusionism of the arched setting is typical of Mantegna’s desire to break through the picture plane and enter the space of the viewer.