Federico Barocci
Italian, 1526/28-1612
Madonna and Child on Clouds
INV-4475
Federico Barocci
Italian, 1526/28-1612n.d.
Madonna and Child on Clouds
Federico Barocci Italian, 1526/28-1612 →printprints and drawing
Date
n.d.
Medium
Etching in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Plate/sheet: 15.5 × 10.8 cm (6 1/8 × 4 5/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
John H. Wrenn Memorial Fund
Federico Barocci’s tender etching is one of the first the artist completed. The intimate scale makes the work ideal for personal devotion. The infant Christ’s direct, beatific gaze at the viewer gently contrasts with the rapt adoration lavished on him by his sweet, youthful mother. The flying putto heads in the cloudburst on either side exude a sense of calm and protection, while the detail of the Virgin’s sandaled foot anchors the pyramidal group on what would otherwise be an insubstantial wisp of cloud. This print may reproduce a painting by the artist that has long since been lost.
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