Holly Allegory
Artist: Giovanni Bellini (Italian, 1438/40-1516)
Date: ca. 1490-1500
Medium: Oil on panel
Collection: Uffizi Galleries, Florence, Italy
One of the most enigmatic and fascinating works of the Italian Renaissance, this painting by Bellini shows the Madonna seated on a throne on the left, and a group of saints and cherubs above a great terrace alongside a reflective pool of water in front of a rocky landscape. The saints include Saint John behind the balustrade and Saint Paul with the sword of martyrdom, while the two semi-nude saints on the right are the hermit Onuphrius, characterized by his uncouth appearance and tanned skin, and the martyr Saint Sebastian. The child seated on a cushion in the center of the painting is possibly Jesus, also represented by the cross erected in the background on the right, to whom the angels offer fruits from the tree of life and knowledge.
