Veronese Painter
Madonna and Child

First half of the 14th century
Fresco
Castelvecchio Museum, Verona, Italy

The fresco is damaged, but the object that the Virgin Mary is holding up for the viewer appears to be a slender hand cross. If so, this would be a most unusual feature for portraits of this type.

The child seems to be holding something now indistinct in his right hand. It cannot have been a book as in the previous centuries, judging from the almost-closed fingers. But in other respects the fresco does continue the older, hieratic approach to Madonna and Child portraits. The child is "enthroned" on Mary's lap, not on her thigh as in the newer style, and is dressed less informally.

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