Madonna and child between Saint George and Saint James

Painted in 1511 for a church in the Veneto region, this Madonna and Child flanked by Saints George and James reflects the enduring demand for sacre conversazioni in provincial Venetian churches. The work is now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, having entered French collections during the Napoleonic era's widespread dispersal of Italian altarpieces. Cima da Conegliano's devotional Madonnas are distinguished by the cool silvery light characteristic of his native Veneto, a quality that differentiates his work from the warmer tonality of his teacher Giovanni Bellini. Working in Conegliano and Venice from the 1480s until his death around 1517, he produced a steady stream of sacra conversazione altarpieces for churches and private patrons throughout the Veneto. His consistent quality and the recognizable elegance of his figure types made him the most trusted supplier of devotional altarpieces in northeastern Italy outside Venice itself.

The martial figure of Saint George in armor contrasts with the contemplative Saint James, creating visual variety within Cima's characteristically balanced and luminous composition.