The Mother of the Redeemer

Initially it was attributed to Teodoro Ghisi of Mantua, but more recently this painting was referred to the hand of an artist from Cremona unfortunately not identified. The canvas offers an eloquent example of how painting "speaks" through symbols. The scene is clearly divided into two parts. In the background, the cloudy sky at sunset and the ruins of a monumental city express the end of a world, traceable to the ancient Roman Empire (the monuments are the Settizonio and, apparently, the Basilica Emilia and the Baths of Caracalla). At the end on the backgroungcorresponds a new beginning, with the birth of the Child in the foreground: the elements depicted speak of the mystery of his incarnation as a humble man (in the arms of his mother in the straw bed) but also as a king (the precious velvet drape with gold fringe) and God (the tree on which the drape hangs, the oak, is a symbol of immortality). The red of the cloth also alludes to the blood that the infant will pour for the redemption of the world, while the ears of wheat between the straw on which it rests refer to the Eucharistic bread, of which the faithful benefit from redemption.