Madonna and Child

The term ‘Primitive’ ­– until recently controversially applied to tribal art – was also a 19^th century buzzword to describe Italian masters before the breakthrough refinements of Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo. It was not applied negatively; on the contrary, art lovers were excited by the sweetly decorative, gothic qualities of Ottaviano di Nelli (c. 1370 – c. 1444) and his Madonna del Belvedere. An ensemble of musical angels serenades the animated Christ Child, who appears to be prancing – if not quite jiving – on his mother’s lap as he acknowledges their melody and devotion. State-of-the-art Victorian colour reproduction (chromolithography) is applied to a distant point in art history. Ottaviano’s original fresco is in the church of Santa Maria Nuova in Gubbio, a town in central Italy whose character remains medieval.

Sourced from: http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2014/12/12/christmas-treasures-from-te-papa/