Madonna and Child

Peter Paul Rubens, Madonna and Child, ca. 1615-1618, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.91
Peter Paul Rubens, Madonna and Child, ca. 1615-1618, oil on wood, 41 5829 18 in. (105.773.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.91
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Madonna and Child
Date
ca. 1615-1618
Dimensions
41 5829 18 in. (105.773.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums Description
oil on wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Religion — New Testament — Mary
  • Religion — New Testament — Christ
Object Number
1929.6.91

Artwork Description

This image of the Virgin Mary and Jesus is a version of one that appears in a Rubens triptych commissioned around 1617 for the Antwerp Cathedral. In this tender scene, Mary gently touches the child’s foot with her right hand and balances him with her left hand, as if helping him to take his first step. The focus is more on Christ’s humanity than his divinity. The painting entered the National Collection of Fine Arts (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum) from the collection of John Gellatly, a prominent collector of American and European art. Gellatly felt that American artists were the equal of any “old master,” and his many European works were meant to be an example and an encouragement to this country’s painters.

Works by this artist (2 items)

Lorrie Goulet, Atlantis, 1990, black Belgian marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2014.35.1, © 1990, Lorrie Goulet
Atlantis
Date1990
black Belgian marble
On view
Lorrie Goulet, Silence, 1970, oak, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2014.35.2, © 1970, Lorrie Goulet
Silence
Date1970
oak
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

Jesús Moroles, Lapstrake I, 1980, Georgia gray granite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alton and Emily Steiner, 2002.82
Lapstrake I
Date1980
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Not on view
John Safer, Chandelle, 1969, revised 2013, Lucite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2007.23
Chandelle
Date1969, revised 2013
Lucite
Not on view
Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Shell), early 1930s, mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1985.64.37
Untitled (Shell)
Dateearly 1930s
mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells
Not on view
Emery Blagdon, Untitled (Individual element from The Healing Machine), ca. 1955-1986, wire, copper wire, tin foil, paper tape, and plastic, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2015.15.7
Untitled (Individual element from The Healing Machine)
Dateca. 1955-1986
wire, copper wire, tin foil, paper tape, and plastic
On view