Virgin and Christ Child

Italian (Bolognese School), c.1450−1517
c. 1510−1517
Oil and tempera on lindenwood panel
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation

Francia was the principal Renaissance painter in Bologna. His style was derived from the close study of Perugino and Raphael. From these masters, Francia adopted the High Renaissance characteristics of a stable pyramidal composition and idealized figures that fill the picture plane. The counterbalances of body positions and head inclinations add a subtle sense of movement, tension and balance to this otherwise static and well-worn subject.