The Virgin with the Child
Classification
Drawing
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-8066
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Fortunato Duranti's *The Virgin with the*, created between 1820 and 1850, exemplifies the enduring tradition of devotional art in 19th-century Italy. in 1787, Duranti was a skilled Italian artist whose works often bridged neoclassical precision with emerging Romantic sensibilities. This drawing, now housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Smithsonian Collection, the tender Madonna and Child motif—a timeless subject rooted in Christian iconography that symbolized maternal love, divine grace, and spiritual protection. Acquired through museum purchase with gifts from various donors and th...