Virgin and Child with an Angel (Madonna del Latte)

Correggio's Virgin and Child with an Angel, also known as the Madonna del Latte (Nursing Madonna), painted around 1523-1524, depicts the intimate act of breastfeeding with characteristic warmth and naturalism. The subject of the nursing Madonna had deep roots in Italian devotional art 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 tender intimacy of the nursing scene is rendered with extraordinary sensitivity, Correggio's soft modeling and warm golden tones creating an atmosphere of gentle domestic sanctity.