The ''Madonna of the Quail'' (Italian: ''Madonna della Quaglia'') is an

International Gothic International Gothic is a period of Gothic art which began in Burgundy, France, and northern Italy in the late 14th and early 15th century. It then spread very widely across Western Europe, hence the name for the period, which was introduced by th ...

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

generally attributed to

Pisanello Pisanello (c. 1380/1395c. 1450/1455), born Antonio di Puccio Pisano or Antonio di Puccio da Cereto, also erroneously called Vittore Pisano by Giorgio Vasari, was one of the most distinguished painters of the early Italian Renaissance and Quattroc ...

. Dating to c. 1420, it was housed in the Castelvecchio Museum of

Verona Verona ( , ; vec, Verona or ) is a city on the Adige River in Veneto, Northern Italy, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and the ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

until stolen in 2015. It would be recovered in 2016.

Description

The painting depicts the Madonna with Child crowned by two flying angels, sitting inside a rose garden in typical late Gothic style. The painter put a great attention in the representation of vegetables and birds, including the quail in the foreground, which gives its name to the painting. The heavenly appearance of the scene is enhanced by the gilt background. The rendering of the Madonna and her clothes resemble those of the works by Gentile da Fabriano, whose workshop Pisanello was a member of at the time. The setting is also similar to the contemporary '' Madonna of the Rose Garden'' by Michelino da Besozzo or

Stefano da Verona Stefano da Verona (or da Zevio; 1379 – c. 1438) was an Italian painter who was active in Verona. He was the son of the French painter Jean d'Arbois, who had come to Italy at the court for Gian Galeazzo Visconti after working for Philip II ...

, also in the museum of Castelvecchio. File:08-09-2006 Pisanello 1395c 1455 Madonna della quaglia - Photo Paolo Villa - deta - Castelvecchio Verona - Pentax K10D SMC - Pentax-FA 35mm F2 - 08-09-2006.jpg File:08-09-2006 Pisanello 1395c 1455 Madonna della quaglia - Photo Paolo Villa - detc 01 - Castelvecchio Verona - Pentax K10D SMC - Pentax-FA 35mm F2 - 08-09-2006.jpg File:08-09-2006 Pisanello 1395c 1455 Madonna della quaglia - Photo Paolo Villa - detd 01 - Castelvecchio Verona - Pentax K10D SMC - Pentax-FA 35mm F2 - 08-09-2006.jpg File:08-09-2006 Pisanello 1395c 1455 Madonna della quaglia - Photo Paolo Villa - detb 01 - Castelvecchio Verona - Pentax K10D SMC - Pentax-FA 35mm F2 - 08-09-2006.jpg

References

Sources

* {{15C-painting-stub Paintings by Pisanello 1420s paintings Gothic paintings Nude art Birds in art Paintings of the Madonna and Child Stolen works of art Paintings in the collection of the Castelvecchio Museum Angels in art