Madonna of Humility

Madonna of Humility
by Giovanni di Paolo
c. 1435
Tempera on panel, 62 x 48 cm
Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena

Mary feels humility for her unfortunate looking child. Jesus is on the skinny side, yet has weird Michelin Man fat rolls on his arms.

Have a closer look at the super cool landscape in the background. I think the white lumps are mountains, and the squares are fields--rather like a chessboard.

Madonna with the Child (altarpiece)

Madonna with the Child (altarpiece)

by the Master of Flémalle

1433-35

Tempera and oil on panel, 34 x 24,5 cm

The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Mary spanks Jesus in a lovely interior. I never realized until now that Jesus was Flemish!

Madonna del Latte

Madonna del Latte
by Bramantino
c. 1490
Oil and tempera on wood, 46 x 35 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Mary nurses baby Jesus from just under her collar bone in an exciting landscape. Bramantino takes extra care with Jesus's swaddling clothes. Is it just me, or did Herve Ledger totally plagiarize this outfit in his spring line?

Madonna with Angels Playing Music and Donor

Madonna with Angels Playing Music and Donor
by an Unknown Spanish Master
1439
Tempera on wood
Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid

You will definitely need to click on this to get a good look at the detail. This artist clearly is sucking up to the donor (lower left) by giving the baby Jesus his hairstyle.

Don't miss the expression of the angel holding a lute to the right of Jesus. He seems pretty disgusted by the whole male pattern balding thing.

Madonna of Large Eyes

Madonna of Large Eyes
by an Unknown Italian Master
c. 1260
Tempera on panel
Museo dell' Opera del Duomo, Siena

I guess that the Unknown Master was short on female models when he painted Mary, because he seems to have used an old man in a bathrobe. That worked out so well that he used an old man for a a model for baby Jesus, too.

Peace!

Virgin and Child

Virgin and Child

by Adriaen Isenbrant

1520s

Oak panel, 107,5 x 69 cm

Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest

Poor baby Jesus! Here he finds himself transformed into a balding middle aged man wearing transparent lingerie.

Run out right now and get on a plane to Budapest. The Museum of Fine arts might be the best place in the world for a squishy Jesus connoisseur.

Amesbury Psalter

Amesbury Psalter

by an unknown English miniaturist

1240s

Illumination on parchment, 305 x 216 mm

All Souls College, Oxford

Oohh I love illuminations! Another strangely mature Jesus finds nourishment in a conveniently located breast. Mary manages her breast feeding duties while simultaneously stepping on a lion AND a dragon. The little lady in the left lower corner is a donor, who probably paid for the illumination.

Madonna and Child Giving Blessings

Madonna and Child Giving Blessings

by Benozzo Gozzoli

1449

Tempera on silk on a wooden mount, 254 x 130 cm

Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Rome

This squishy Jesus is not very squishy, and not much of a baby either. He has the look of a gay eighties t.v. star. With his right hand he blesses us (peace sign) and with his left, he holds a globe, symbolic of his sovereignty over the world.

Aren't Mary's draped sleeves cool?