Virgin of the Milk - Oil on copper

"Virgin of the Milk" (Virgo Lactans) Oil on copper with gold highlights Venetian Master Early 17th century Copper cm. 14x18 Original frame cm. 18x22 Architectural frame cm 40 x 70 The painting is in excellent condition. All details of the work at: https://www.antichitaischia.it/it/prodotto/-vergine-del-latte--olio-su-rame This small jewel, painted in oil on copper and executed with extreme fineness, depicts the Virgin holding the Child in her arms and offering him her breast to nurse. The Child's profile face is turned upwards, meeting the gaze of the Mother who lowers her eyes in a tender maternal contact. It is a particularly sought-after subject, of great evocative power, and the image is very pleasing. The author is a 17th-century Venetian artist influenced by Flemish painting. The copper plate, including the thin original frame, has been inserted into a magnificent architectural tabernacle, creating the effect of a splendid miniature altarpiece. In addition to highlighting and giving importance to the painting, this rare gilded and silvered wooden altar is a significant added value, integrating perfectly into a fusion of two Venetian works of art from the same period. The Virgin of the Milk, in Latin "Virgo Lactans," is a very significant Christian iconography in ancient painting and of great interest to any art collector. It falls within the so-called "Marian iconography," which encompasses all sacred representations featuring the Virgin Mary as the protagonist. Originating from ancient times, from Eastern culture and also present in the Orthodox sphere, the representation of the Madonna breastfeeding the Child has undergone numerous variations over the centuries, acquiring different meanings depending on the period and culture of the places of origin. It was precisely in the West that the Madonna of the Milk underwent a significant modification, abandoning stylized representations to embrace greater naturalness in figures and poses. The figure is no longer depicted frontally and hierarchically, and an affectionate play of glances is established with the Child, just as in the work in question. The Council of Trent, begun in 1543, with the decree: "De invocatione, veneratione, et reliquiis sanctorum et sacris imaginibus" defined the Church's position regarding devotional iconographies. Among the aims of this decree was to avoid images of a sensual nature or perceived as such by the morality of the time. The Counter-Reformation in Trent included among these inappropriate images, which could mislead the faithful, the representations of Mary with her breast uncovered, as they were accused of distracting the faithful from prayer. Bishops were tasked with evaluating sacred images and deciding whether they should be retouched or removed. In the diocese of Milan, Carlo Borromeo, in particular, considered such depictions, widespread in Brianza, to be inappropriate, arranging for them to be covered with repainting in many cases. Churches dedicated to the "Madonna del Latte" had to change their name.