The Madonna of Humility with the Temptation of Eve

A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this painting as tempera and gold on wood panel and credits Olivuccio di Ciccarello (Italian, Marche, 1360/65–1439).

The museum's collection notes: The Madonna is seated humbly on the ground nursing her child. Saint George and the Archangels Gabriel and Michael kneel nearby, while Christ’s disciples appear radiating from the Madonna’s halo in the form of stars. In contrast with the Virgin’s purity, Eve lies in the lower part of the painting. Coaxed by the serpent, she raises the forbidden fruit to her mouth, thus condemning humankind through her original sin. The juxtaposition of these two images affirms the Incarnation and the role of Christ and the Virgin in the redemption story. The deep scratches on the surface of the panel, especially on the serpent’s face and Eve’s wrist, likely re