Madonna of Giverny

Frederick William MacMonnies

1901 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

MacMonnies created this autumnal-themed work during the four-year period (1900-1904) when he redirected his attention from sculpture to painting. Reimagining the Virgin and Child in a French grape arbor, he posed his son Ronald as the Christ Child. The models for the angels were the artist’s daughters, as well as two children of the gardener of his Giverny neighbor, Claude Monet. The circular format, called a tondo, and the naturalistic setting reflect the influence of Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, whose paintings of the Madonna MacMonnies copied in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek.

Artist

Frederick William MacMonnies

Date

1901

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Ira Spanierman, 1983