Madonna and Child

In the pictureMary, in a white veil and blue mantle, supports with one hand the child standing on a stone parapet. The child wears red and raises his right hand in blessing. Above hangs a garland of fruit and leaves tied with a red ribbon, and behind them stretches a landscape of a river, city walls and blue hills. Small flowers and fruit lie on the parapet.

BackgroundGiovanni Bellini laid the foundations of Venetian painting and was the teacher of Titian and Giorgione. This is an early work, still using tempera and gold, yet soft light and air already fill the landscape behind. The stone parapet under the child sits like a boundary between the world of the picture and the viewer, and the garland is an ornament Venetian painters loved to use.

Puzzle tipThis painting is easy to sort by color. The blue mantle, white veil, red garment, sky and green landscape each form their own area. There are only a few skin-colored pieces, such as the faces and hands, so find them first, and join the blue pieces of the mantle by following the bright lines of its folds. It works well all the way up to 300 pieces.