The Divine Smile at MUŻA, Valletta

Pensive and protective, benevolent and regal, tender and devoted; the many iconic representations of the Madonna shift from the hieratic and majestic Queen of Heaven to a young, humble, maternal mother. Enjoying immense popularity in Christian Art, the ‘Madonna and Child’ theme is actually not based on any specific Biblical narrative. The idea of the Virgin Mary with Baby Jesus finds its prototype in Byzantine art following the decree of the Council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. when Mary’s role as the ‘Theotokos’ or ‘God-bearer’ was established. The popularity of the Madonna and Child theme is captured in four panel paintings on show in Heritage Malta's exhibition Masterpieces at MUŻA currently showcasing 13 Old Master paintings on a long-term loan from an international collection. Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

The exhibition Masterpieces at MUŻA, which has reintroduced artwork into the public arena after decades out of sight, is an extension of Heritage Malta’s mission to make cultural patrimony accessible to the public. Completed between the 15th and 16th centuries, the four Madonna and Child paintings forming part of the exhibition are the outcome of highly competent Italian High Renaissance artists, emerging from the studios and circles of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), and Lorenzo di Credi (c.1456-1536), all of whose unprecedented and prodigious mastery had taken the Florentine, Milanese and Roman cultural scenes by storm. Originally intended for private devotion inside family chapels or private settings this exhibition allows for an encounter with these works.

The Madonna and Child with the young St John the Baptist, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (Anchiano, 1452 - Amboise, 1519) and circle, late 15th / early 16th century, 72.5 x 51 cm, oil and tempera on panel.

Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

In the painting The Madonna and Child with the young St John the Baptist, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and circle, Mary wears a dark blue mantle over a crimson garment which forms part of her iconography. The colour blue, symbolizes her purity and royal status as Queen of Heaven, while red refers to her motherhood, love, and the blood and Passion of Christ.

Set against an idyllic rocky landscape dotted with dense shrubbery, patches of a lake in the background, and staggered tall trees that enhance the sense of depth, the smiling Madonna’s open and very expressive hands protect her Son and the Baptist, who are depicted as cherubic, playful infants.

Madonna and Child, Milanese School (Studio of Leonardo da Vinci, Anchiano, 1452 - Amboise, 1519), 16th century, 38 x 28.5 cm, oil and tempera on panel.

Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

Another painting on the same theme, this time the strikingly intimate Madonna and Child from the studio of Leonardo da Vinci, captures a quiet, private moment between the Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus. The dark background offsets the warm light that falls softly on Mary’s face and neck and sculpts the rotund Christ Child who rests on a parapet. Mary‘s subtle smile reveals her maternal love as she gazes in awe of Baby Jesus, whose attention appears to be arrested by something he is pointing at that lies outside the painting. Again, the gesture of her right hand serves to safeguard and reverently present this divine Child to the world as the Son of God and Saviour of Mankind. Da Vinci’s far-reaching influence is evident in the sfumato finish of the muted brushwork, which transitions from dark to light.

The Madonna and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist, Maestro Tommaso (active 1490-1510) and Lorenzo di Credi (Florence, 1459-1537), late 15th / early 16th century, 87 cm diameter, oil and tempera on panel.

Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

As the name implies, the tondo, bordered by an exquisite reproduction frame of the period, is a circular painting, plausibly ascribed to Maestro Tommaso, who spent a considerable part of his career training and working in the studio of the Florentine painter and sculptor, Lorenzo di Credi. The calming blue and green tones that imbue The Madonna and Child with the young St John the Baptist and an Angel in a Landscape reflect the serene and peaceful composition of ordered nature and the symmetrical arrangement of the painting’s subjects in the foreground. A thickly foliaged tree that stands tall in the centre and rises splayed behind the Madonna symbolically acts like the back of a high throne that recalls her royal status. The venerated Queen of Heaven is ‘enthroned’ in Nature, her seated position on the ground following on the tradition of the nativity of Christ. The placidity of the scene is only slightly counterbalanced by the Virgin’s pensive, slightly aloof gaze as she looks down at the cross the Baptist holds in his fingers, a premonition of future woes to come.

Madonna of Divine Love,attributed to Raffaello Sanzio (Urbino, 1483-Rome, 1520) and workshop, 16th century, 140 x 110 cm, oil and tempera on panel.

Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

A similar scene unfolds in The Madonna of Divine Love attributed to Raffaello Sanzio and workshop. The Madonna’s gaze is one of a melancholic-tinged veneration, her hands placed together in prayer as she watches the Christ Child blessing a genuflecting St John the Baptist who is also holding a cross. Her mother St Anne tilts her head against her daughter’s as she gently holds Baby Jesus’s arm. The contemplative atmosphere of the painting extends to the top left of the painting, where a confused yet resigned St Joseph inhabits a darkened arcade, lost in deep thought over his foster-fatherhood. The saint’s psychological distance is enforced by the dark shadow in which he is cast as opposed to the intense illumination over the foreground sacred actors in this mystery.

Installation view of Masterpieces at MUŻA which includes artworks ranging from the late 15th to the mid-18th centuries, displayed in five thematic sections. Photograph Steven Psaila.

Photography courtesy Heritage Malta.

Masterpieces at MUŻA offers a unique opportunity to experience these four Madonna and Child paintings as part of the complete collection of thirteen Old Master paintings from an international private collection making a welcome entry into the National Collection on a long-loan basis through this exhibition.

Masterpieces at MUŻA is supported by Visit Malta; the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government; the Ministry for Finance; and the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Malta. The exhibition is open all week except Tuesdays, from 10am till 4.30pm. There is an entry fee of 10 euros which covers both the exhibition and a visit to MUŻA. It is open until the end of October 2021. For further information log onto www.muza.mt MUŻA is a project part-financed by the European Union under the European Regional Developmental Fund – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020.