Giovanni Bellini and Workshop
Virgin and Child

The portrait format is just under 80 centimetres high and almost 50 centimetres wide. It is painted with oil on poplar wood. The devotional painting is owned by the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. 

Mary is depicted sitting behind a low parapet. She is holding her naked son, who is standing on it. 

Mother and child form the centre of the painting. Mary is wearing a pleated blue cloak, underneath a purple iridescent robe with tight-fitting sleeves. Over her head and hair is a white cloth with a gold border, which is twisted in front of her chest. Mary has tilted her head slightly to her left and is looking directly at the onlookers. She has fine facial features, brown eyes, a small nose with a straight, long bridge and a small mouth. 

The infant Jesus stands diagonally in front of Mary on the brown-grained balustrade. His head is level with the crook of her neck. Mary's right hand is resting on her son's chest. He grasps her thumb with his right hand and feels the back of her hand with his left. The child's gaze is directed downwards and his head is tilted slightly forwards. Reddish-blonde curls frame the round face with rosy cheeks. 

In her left hand, behind the child, Mary is holding a golden pear between her thumb, forefinger and middle finger. The stem of the fruit is pointing upwards. The golden shimmer of the pear makes parts of her palm and fingers also appear golden. 

Three quarters of the background is covered by a bright red curtain with a fine gold border. On the left edge of the picture, it reveals a view of a city with towers and domed roofs behind a wall with battlements. The city is embedded in a wooded hilly landscape. The sky above the hilltops is white and turns blue towards the upper edge of the picture. 

The painter has applied his signature in gold letters to the centre of the parapet at the bottom edge of the picture. The dark background reads: Ioannes Bellinus.

Mary looks at us with a serious expression on her face. She knows her child will die on the cross and redeem humanity through his death. As a symbol of original sin, she is holding ... not an apple, but a pear … in her left hand. Her right hand is clasped about her son, who may still be unsteady on his feet. This emblematic scene takes place in front of a bright red curtain, behind which we can see the city of Vicenza – one of Venice's neighbouring cities.

Giovanni Bellini and the painters in his workshop were famous for their portrayals of the Madonna. They painted her in countless works – each with slightly different minor details. Bellini and his assistants arranged individual elements into ever new compositions, avoiding the temptation to mass-produce a single successful subject.

For example: compare this Madonna and Child with the one known as the "Rogers Madonna ", the second picture at this stop. Both paintings are from Bellini's workshop. There's a resemblance – and yet they're quite different when you get down to the detail. The pear, the blue mantle, the landscape in the background, the naked boy... can you identify any other features that are similar, yet different?

In this picture you can see Mary and the little Jesus. Mary is holding Jesus with her right hand to support him. In her left hand she is holding a pear. Behind Mary, Bellini has painted a bright red curtain. Behind the curtain we see the city of Vicenza – a neighboring city of Venice.

Giovanni Bellini and the painters in his workshop were famous for their depictions of Mary. They painted Mary over and over again, and each picture was a little bit different from the previous one.

Compare the two paintings of Mary. Both paintings were painted by Bellini and his workshop. The paintings look similar, but there are also differences: the city in the background is different, instead of Mary, Jesus is holding the pear in his hand... can you find any other differences?