Workshop of Antonio Rossellino (1427 - 1479)
Virgin and Child, about 1480
Polychromed stucco (with some gilding in the veil), 25.5 x 34.5 x 18 cm (10 1/16 x 13 9/16 x 7 1/16 in.)
This is a fragment of a polychromed stucco relief of the Virgin and Child. The back of the piece is unfinished, indicating that it may have been attached to a plaque. The fragment consists of two heads, side by side, which are attached by a pole to a base and is positioned on a shelf above a church pew in the Long Gallery. To our left is the head of the Christ child. He has dark hair which forms a widow’s peak on his forehead and rosy, round cheeks. His dark eyes gaze out and down. The Virgin’s head, to our right, leans toward the child. She has dark hair and eyes, a long straight nose, and red lips. Her eyes gaze downward as well. A veil with some gilding drapes over her head and the side of her neck to our right. The top of the base has some gilding; the middle section is decorated with a swirling pattern of blue and teal; the bottom appears unpainted.
Long Gallery
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.