What Makes This Painting Different?
Titian's painting has a lot in common with many images of the Madonna and Child. Pictures of Mary nursing the infant Jesus, for example, were not unusual for this time.
More than most, however, this portrait emphasized the humility of the Virgin, the tenderness of the relationship, and the bittersweet sorrow of Jesus's childhood.
The style of painting is typical for Titian's final years, what some call his "third phase" and it adds to the emotion of the scene.
BONUS INFO: If a model was used for the painting, we don't know anything about her. In Italian society of that time, it was common for wealthy families to send newborn babies to a wetnurse who came from a lower social class. The babies would not return to their own family until they had been weaned, sometimes as late as 3 years old or later.
We can be confident this is a religious image because the women who would be wealthy enough to pay for a portrait would not be nursing their own babies. In that context, it is worth noting that this image of the Virgin seems to be a portrait of an ordinary young woman.
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Compare Titian's painting with two others which are closely related to it.
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Michelangelo's Drawing
Titian may have been aware of this composition by Michelangelo before creating his own, perhaps through a friend's copy or description. The way the child's body twists in his mother's lap is almost identical.
In Titian's painting, however, the Virgin's face has been turned back to the child, her gaze directed inward, softening the effect. Titian's mother also holds the babe more tenderly with her open hands, pulling him in closer to center.
A sense of sorrow and loss is evident in both, particularly in the eyes of Mary.
Bellini's Madonna of the Meadow
Completed more than half a century earlier, this painting represents the tradition that Titian was building upon with his later portrait. The artist, Giovanni Bellini, was one of Titian's artistic mentors and was considered to be the preeminent Venetian artist of his day.
In Bellini's image, the Virgin's blue robe and prayerful posture are common for images of Mary at that time. The muted earth-tones of Titian's painting, the lack of any supplementary details, and his nearly anonymous nursing mother, are all the more striking when compared to Bellini's serene composition and vibrant color palette.
