Madonna del latte (Previtali)

Andrea Previtali painted this Madonna del Latte (Nursing Madonna) around 1512, a devotional image type emphasizing Mary's humanity and maternal tenderness. Having trained under Giovanni Bellini in Venice, Previtali brought Venetian luminous devotionalism to his adopted city of Bergamo The Madonna and Child was the most ubiquitous devotional subject of medieval and Renaissance art, present in every church and many private homes as a focus for prayer and spiritual contemplation.

The panel demonstrates Previtali's refined Bellinesque technique with warm luminous glazes and the tender intimacy characteristic of the nursing Madonna subject.