Marble relief of the Virgin and Child, made in Ialy (Lombardy) ca. 1470.

The half-length Virgin is sitting in front of a shallow niche, framed by pilasters. Her head is bowed towards the Christ child whom she supports with both hands as he stands on the parapet in front of his mother. His left foot rests on a cushion and his right arm around the Virgin's neck. The Virgin is dressed in simple drapery and her head is veiled. The Christ child is shown naked.

Given by Miss Lindsay

Given to the museum by Miss Lindsay.

With most Lombard sculptors it is almost impossible to say with any certainty which artist was responsible for carving an object. The structure of Lombard workshop was much more varied and complex than that of the Tuscan counterparts and each master organised the division of labour in a different way. Giovanni Antonio Amadeo was particularly complicated in that respect. Not only was he the master of his own workshop, with a large number of assistants, but he also formed partnerships with other masters and their workshops, as well as overseeing the large fabbriche at the Duomo and the Ospedale Maggiore in Milan and the Certosa di Pavia, among others.
Regarding the Certosa di Pavia alone, he had stipulated a contract with four other sculptors: Lazzaro Palazzi, Giovanni Giacomo Dolcebuono, Giovanni Antionio Piatti and Angelo da Lecco. The commission for the façade of the Certosa was then given to both Amadeo and the Mantegazza brothers, and each party was responsible for half of the façade.
He worked in close partnership with Piatti, Dolcebuono and Benedetto Briosco on a variety of projects, that were too large for a single workshop.

The small size of this piece suggests a devotional piece.

Giovanni Antonio Amadeo (1447-1522)
Sculptor and architect, mainly active in Milan, Pavia, Bergamo and Cremona.
His professional success, in terms of the architectural and sculptural commissions and official appointments that he received, was far greater than that of any of his contemporaries in Lombardy in the late 15th century, including Bramante.

Bartolommeo Colleoni (1400-1475)
Italian soldier of fortune, served the Venetian Republic for many years under Gonzaga and Francesco Sforaz. He defeated the Milanese at the battles of Brescia, Verona, and on Lake Garda. He transferred his services to the Milanese in 1443, but the suspicious nature of Visconti was awakened by his conduct, and he was imprisoned at Monza until the Duke died in 1447. He left the Milanese service in 1448, and returned to that of Venice; but dissatisfied at not having been appointed captain-general he again entered the Milanese service. The offer of increased pay brought him back once more to Venice, and in 1455 he was appointed captain-general for life. He died in 1475.

The Carthusian monastery was founded in 1390 by Giangaleazzo Visconti. Building began in 1396, however most of the work was done in the second half of the 15th century, while Francesco Sforza was Duke of Milan. The church was consecrated in 1497, but work continued until the 1550s. All the most renowned Lombard sculptors and architects of the time worked on the church and especially on its façade, including the Mantegazza, Amadeo Briosco, Solari and the da Sesto brothers.

The Virgin and Child in the lunette over the door of the small cloister in the Certosa di Pavia and the relief in the Misericordia in Florence are stylistically related to this one.Slightly later in style than Virgin and Child in the Certosa doorway, which was executed between 1466 and 1470.In this period Amadeo was based in Milan, but worked at the Certosa in Pavia up to 1470 when he started work on the Colleoni tomb and chapel in Bergamo.

This is a marble relief representing the Virgin and Child. This is made by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo(1447-1522), and closely related in style to his early works, including a signed Virgin and Child with four Angels in the sacristy of the Misericordia in Florence, and a signed lunette over the door of the small cloister of the Certosa at Pavia.

A.28-1912