Madonna and Child in Painted Frame

This enigmatic Madonna and Child is still rooted in the style of Jacopo Bellini. The painting is sometimes given to one of three pupils of Squarcione - Giorgio Schiavone, Marco Zoppo, or Mantegna. Putti painted on the picture’s original frame continue the Madonna’s mournful message: they hold the instruments of the Passion, each group separated by clusters of cherub heads.