Madonna and Child 1440s

Dating from the 1440s and now at the National Gallery of Art, this Madonna and Child shows Lippi developing the intimate devotional format that would become his greatest contribution to Florentine art. The decade of the 1440s saw Lippi consolidating his mature style under the patronage of Cosimo de' Medici, who admired his work enough to intercede when the friar faced legal difficulties. Characteristic of Lippi's approach, the work displays elegant linear grace, tender humanity, lyrical Madonna types, decorative refinement.

The tender interaction between mother and child is captured with delicate brushwork and warm tonal harmonies, the simplified background focusing attention on the psychological bond between the sacred figures.