Virgin and Child with an Angel

Sandro Botticelli's humanizing yet idealized depiction of the Virgin Mary embracing the baby Jesus conveys the sacred beauty of maternal love. Mary nuzzles her son’s chubby cheek as he grasps the nape of her neck. An angel looks on adoringly. Celebrated in his own time, Botticelli developed a distinctly sentimental and tactile style of painting for both religious and secular subjects.