Madonna and Child with Angels

Marco Zoppo's Madonna and Child with Angels, painted around 1455 and now in the Louvre, Paris, demonstrates the linear, hard-edged style of the Paduan school that Zoppo absorbed from his training with Francesco Squarcione. Zoppo was a contemporary and rival of Mantegna in Squarcione's workshop before establishing himself in Bologna. His distinctive angular style, with its elaborate decorative elements and archaeological ornamentation, represents an alternative direction from Mantegna's classical grandeur.

Zoppo's Paduan training is evident in the crisp, metallic drapery folds, elaborate decorative garlands, and the sculptural modeling that characterizes the Squarcione workshop tradition, combined with expressive angular figure poses.