The Holy Family with the Adoration of the Child
Mariotto Albertinelli
Florence 1474 - Florence 1515
About 1505
Oil and tempera on panel
Albertinelli was one of the prominent young Florentine artists at the beginning of the sixteenth century, when the most innovative trends synthesized into the re-conceptualization of the imitation of an idealised nature in style knwon as the high Renaissance. Alghtough less well known to us than Leonardo, Raphael or Michelangelo, working in Florence, Albertinelli and Fra Bartolommeo, his friend and collaborator, were unique among the artists in profoundly comprehending the import of this innovation of style and vison. They express this understanding in an accessible and appealing language, without sacrificing its essential refined and complex terms. This painting, executed precisely at this crucial juncture in time, expresses this synthesis in sophisticated and direct terms.
This monumental conception of this altarpiece within a tondo (round) format proclaims the new High Renaissance aesthetic. Set in a meadow, this adoration it suggests of a moment arrested during the Flight to Egypt. The Infant reclines against a bag which holds all of the Family's possessions. The leaning figures of the Virgin and Saint Joseph embrace the Saviour. His position could have paralleled the altar beneath the tondo, on which the transubstantiated body of Christ would be offered. The curved landscape, whose lyrical tone complements the pastoral and reverential subject, and the tondo shape seem to extend the space into our physical realm.
Audioguide for this work
About 1505, Oil and tempera on wood, 89 cm (diam.), MMFA, purchase, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michal Hornstein, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts' Volunteer Association, the Museum Campaign 1988-1993 and the Deirdre M. Stevenson Funds.
Working in Florence at the beginning of the sicteenth century, Albertinelli responded to the new approach to idealized nature found in the innovative works of Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo by producing engaging and accessible works.
The first painting of the Italian High Renaissance to enter the Museum's collection, this tondo, or circular painting , was likely made for a domestic setting, probably a private chapel. Notice how the figures are positioned slightly off-centre, opening the composition at right to the pathway, leading us onward into the landscape. This device, along with the pyramidal composition of the central figures, was also used by Raphael.
The Holy Family with the Adoration of the Child
Mariotto Albertinelli
Florence 1474 - Florence 1515
About 1505
Oil and tempera on panel
Albertinelli was one of the prominent young Florentine artists at the beginning of the sixteenth century, when the most innovative trends synthesized into the re-conceptualization of the imitation of an idealised nature in style knwon as the high Renaissance. Alghtough less well known to us than Leonardo, Raphael or Michelangelo, working in Florence, Albertinelli and Fra Bartolommeo, his friend and collaborator, were unique among the artists in profoundly comprehending the import of this innovation of style and vison. They express this understanding in an accessible and appealing language, without sacrificing its essential refined and complex terms. This painting, executed precisely at this crucial juncture in time, expresses this synthesis in sophisticated and direct terms.
This monumental conception of this altarpiece within a tondo (round) format proclaims the new High Renaissance aesthetic. Set in a meadow, this adoration it suggests of a moment arrested during the Flight to Egypt. The Infant reclines against a bag which holds all of the Family's possessions. The leaning figures of the Virgin and Saint Joseph embrace the Saviour. His position could have paralleled the altar beneath the tondo, on which the transubstantiated body of Christ would be offered. The curved landscape, whose lyrical tone complements the pastoral and reverential subject, and the tondo shape seem to extend the space into our physical realm.
Audioguide for this work
About 1505, Oil and tempera on wood, 89 cm (diam.), MMFA, purchase, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Michal Hornstein, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts' Volunteer Association, the Museum Campaign 1988-1993 and the Deirdre M. Stevenson Funds.
Working in Florence at the beginning of the sicteenth century, Albertinelli responded to the new approach to idealized nature found in the innovative works of Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo by producing engaging and accessible works.
The first painting of the Italian High Renaissance to enter the Museum's collection, this tondo, or circular painting , was likely made for a domestic setting, probably a private chapel. Notice how the figures are positioned slightly off-centre, opening the composition at right to the pathway, leading us onward into the landscape. This device, along with the pyramidal composition of the central figures, was also used by Raphael.