Duccios Madonna and Child - Essay Example

History and Political Science Madonna and Child is a painting, which depicts Mary, mother of Jesus, holding Jesus when he was a child. At first glance, Duccio’s Madonna and Child feel lacking minute details. Perhaps it is the wear and tear of the many years that this masterpiece has seen or perhaps the absence of minor details was done on purpose. You will observe two emblems on Madonna’s shawl, one upon the head and the other upon the right shoulder. The shawl is of a modest appearance, including the colour. There is an almost vacant look in Madonna’s eyes, appearing almost as if lost in some thought or perhaps trying to truly comprehend whom she is holding in her arms and what purpose this little child will serve. Her eyes are narrow. Her skin is fair with a touch of pink upon her cheeks. She wears a loose, smaller scarf underneath the shawl, further covering her hair. We observe no appearance of any hair on Madonna’s head as it is covered by the scarf and shawl. Her shawl has a golden trim along the edges. She holds the Child with her left hand while her right hand is there to add further support. We note that her index finger, on the right hand, points downwards, either casually or perhaps a deeper meaning than the one that appears upon the surface. A light trace of a circle, which surrounds her head, can be noticed in the background on the canvas. The Child on the other hand has some peculiar features. For one, the first thing that is very visible is the colour of the skin, which appears to be of dark shade, perhaps light brown, with short hair. He wears a red tunic-type clothing with a shawl that partially covers the body. The Child appears to be holding onto Madonna’s shawl and scarf at the head. Again, like Madonna, there appears to be a halo like circle behind the child’s head, detailed with patterns. With Berlinghiero’s Madonna and Child immediately you will notice the higher level of details especially around the eyes and hands. Madonna appears to be wearing three different types of garments, a headscarf, a shawl and tunic or shirt type clothing underneath the shawl. Her right hand appears to be pointing towards the child who is held up by her right hand. We can also observe a white head covering underneath the large headscarf. There are two emblems on the headscarf, one on the head and the other on the shoulder. The artist has painted considerable detail into the Madonna’s appearance especially that of her face and eyes. There appears to be a circle on the background behind Madonna’s head. The Child appears of a considerable young age. He wears a single red piece of clothing strategically wrapped around the body. The child sits upon Madonna’s left hand. He holds in his right hand some form of object, cylindrical in shape, red in colour, with two black stripes at each end. The colour of the Child’s skin matches that of Madonna. His right hand fingers and thumb are closed with the exception of his index and middle finger. The Child’s hair is curly and in abundance. There appears to be a circular shape behind the Child’s head with a red cross inside. The Child’s head appears to be in the center of that circle and cross. There are significant similarities between Duccio’s and Berlinghiero’s renditions of Madonna and Child. The colour of the clothing worn by Madonna in both the pictures is roughly the same shade. It applies to the child as well. There are two common emblems on her shawl, one upon her head, the other her shoulder, which is visible in both paintings. In both paintings, the child sits upon her left hand. Both the mother and son, have a circle in the background behind their heads. There are however some very striking differences between the two that sets them apart from each other. The biggest and most prominent difference between the two is the appearance of the child. The eyes are bigger and detailed, with hair more abundant in Berlingheiro’s version as compared to Duccio’s version, which shows shorter hair. In Duccio’s rendition, the child is of a darker colour as compared to Berlingheiro. Madonna’s facial expressions are significantly different amongst the two paintings with one, Duccio, presenting a subtle more distant look in her eyes, while the other presenting a strong, stern facial expression, Berlinghieros. In Berlinghiero’s version, the child is wearing only a single piece of clothing wrapped around in a manner so that it appears like a proper set of clothing where as in Duccio’s version; the child wears two different types of clothing, a shirt and shawl. The other most prominent thing that stands out is the red cylindrical object that the child holds in his hands in Berlinghiero’s version as well as the hand gesture that the child’s right hand is making. In Duccio’s version the child is trying to grab a hold of his mothers shawl instead of making a symbol or gesture and holds no cylindrical objects in the other hand. Also the downwards pointing hand gesture found in Duccio’s painting is also absent from Berlinghiero’s painting. The circle behind Madonna and the child’s head in Duccio’s painting is more detailed in design but it is difficult to make out the full pattern given the wear and tear the painting has experienced over the years. In Berlinghiero’s version, there is no visible pattern in the circle that is behind Madonna’s head; however, the child’s circle holds a red cross, which is absent from Duccio’s version. Despite the similarities and differences, Duccio’s painting was painted with simplicity in mind. The lack of finer details like those found in Berlinghiero’s edition of the painting, especially the facial features, detaling of the clothing, attempts to present a plain picture of a mother and her child. Berlinghiero it seems is incorporating other hidden messages or symbolism, like the cylindrical object the child holds, the cross in the circle as compared to the elaborate patterns in Duccio’s painting, behind the child’s head and his hand gesture. Work Cited Berlinghiero, “Madonna and Child” Duccio, “Madonna and Child” Read More