Cleveland Museum of Art

Virgin and Child

Pintoricchio

Date

c. 1490–1500

Medium

tempera and oil on wood

Culture

Italy, late 15th Century

Department

Medieval Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Bernardino di Betto, called Pinturicchio, is said to have acquired his nickname ("little painter") because of his small stature, and used it to sign some of his paintings. Born in Perugia, the provincial capital of Umbria, he trained under local artists, eventually becoming a paid assistant of the painter Perugino. He is known to have assisted Perugino on his frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and eventually established his own reputation as a respected artist. Many of his commissions were for churches and wealthy families in Umbria and elsewhere. Though the source of this painting is unknown, it was likely produced for a home or private chapel.

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