Description
The simply dressed Virgin Mary and the naked Christ Child remind the viewer of the Christian virtue of humility. The landscape behind them suggests an idealized site from Perugino's native Umbria in central Italy, given a paradise-like beauty and serenity. The colors are vivid and yet harmonious.
Pietro Perugino (which means the one from Perugia) was famous for his pious and sweet style, and, by the late 15th century, he was one of the most popular artists in Italy. His fame led to the commission of a wall fresco in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
Provenance
Grand Duke of Tuscany [date and mode of acquisition unknown] (?); Grand Duke of Lucca [date and mode of acquisition unknown] (?) [In the Warren sale catalogue, this picture was previously listed in the collection of the grand duke of Tusdany, then in that of the duke of Lucca; it does not appear, however, in the sale catalogue of the latter, while its provenance from the grand ducal collection cannot be traced]; Mrs. S. D. Warren, Boston [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Mrs. S. D. Warren Sale, American Art Association, New York, January 8-9, 1903, no. 100; H. Williams [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1903, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
