Contarini Madonna

Giovanni Bellini's Contarini Madonna, painted around 1475 and now in the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Venice, takes its name from the noble Contarini family. The work represents Bellini's development during the 1470s when he was transforming his style from the sharp linearity of his early Paduan manner to the warmer, more atmospheric approach. The Contarini were one of the oldest and most powerful Venetian patrician families, prominent patrons of art and architecture.

The painting shows Bellini in transition between his early Mantegnesque precision and his mature atmospheric style, with firm drawing softened by increasingly luminous flesh tones and warm golden light.