Antonio Vivarini
Polyptych of the Madonna Enthroned: Detail, the Madonna

As often in Madonnas of the 15th century, the child's nakedness demonstrates his full humanity. In a further effort at portraying him as fully human, he looks to his mother questioningly as he reaches for the pear. Until the 15th century he was more likely to look directly at the viewer and/or to raise his hand in divine blessing.

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Photographed at the Euphrasian Basilica by Richard Stracke, shared under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.