Madonna and Child by Piero Di Cosimo

Piero Di Cosimo (1461-1521) fits the modern stereotype of artists as being reclusive and eccentric geniuses. He avoided having company or going out. He ate only hard-boiled eggs, and would cook up to fifty at a time to avoid needless fire-building. He even kept his art studio from being cleaned because of the nuisance of it all.

Piero worked during the first half of the 15th century, otherwise known as the Renaissance. He lived in the great Italian cultural center of Florence. His life falls between the great artists Botticelli and Da Vinci and painted both secular and religious themes, and often helped with banners for civic celebrations.

Madonna and Child focuses on the infant Jesus and His mother Mary. Four men surround the central pair. The two men at the top are from the Bible – John the Baptist and Simon Peter. The two men at the bottom are from church history – Dominic on the left and Nicholas on the right.

Dominic was the founder of the Dominican order of Mendicant Brothers, and was a contemporary of Saint Francis of Assisi. Nicholas was a fourth century bishop known for his generosity to children and is know as the original “Saint Nick.”

Because the central figure is Jesus, we will focus our attention on Him. What is the Christ-message of this piece?

First, this piece speaks of the Deity of Christ. All five figures have bodies angled toward the central figure of the infant child. God alone is worthy of worship. The men present themselves for worship to Jesus because of who He is. “They shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:23)

Second, His humanity is established by the realism of the Renaissance style. None of the depicted figures appear ghostly, flat, or less than flesh-and-blood human. Jesus did not simply appear to be human, He actually was human. When the Apostle John wrote against those who denied Jesus had really been a man, he said, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…” (1 John 1:1) This is a human baby sitting in the lap of His human mother.

Third, a more subtle point of the painting is the depiction of Christ’s sinless purity. Why is the infant nude? According to Renaissance artistic standards, the nudity is both nuditas naturalis and nuditas virtualis. The first type of nudity expresses the natural state of man, either at birth or in the Garden of Eden. The second type of nudity is utilized as a symbol of the purity and innocence of a person. In the case of the infant Jesus, both ideas are at work. Christ came as the second Adam (Romans 5:12-21), without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Fourth, Jesus serves as the central figure of all special revelation. Jesus explained Himself to the disciples by teaching them the Old Testament (Luke 24:27). On the right side of the painting stands John the Baptist, the last and greatest of the Old Testament-type of prophets, who himself served as a prophetic bridge. On the left side of the painting stands Peter, representing the leadership at the beginning of the church age. In the middle is baby Jesus. Through Christ we understand the unity of salvation-history from Genesis to Revelation.

Fifth, Disciples of Christ boldly preach the exclusivity of Christ the Savior (Acts 4:12). If you get a chance to see the painting in person, you will notice at the bottom that there are three squares depicting scenes from the lives of John, Dominic, and Nicholas. The square on the right depicts Nicholas ordering the destruction of a tree used in the worship of the goddess Artemis. According to legend, he tore down many temples as the Gospel progressed in his district. There is no place for pluralism in the life of a believer.

Sixth, Disciples of Christ will live lives of service to God, and will be manifested by a concern for others (James 2:14-18). The figure of Nicholas carries three golden balls. This reminds us of the stories about how young Nicholas inherited his parent’s wealth upon their early death. Instead of consuming it upon his own pleasures, Nicholas gave Christian charity to those in need. According to legend, Nicholas secretly dropped three sacks of gold coins in the window of a man who was going to sell his daughters into illicit slavery for want of a proper dowry. Over the centuries, the story changed from anonymously-given coins thrown in a window to a story about a fat guy coming down a chimney with presents. The real story of Nicholas remains an object lesson in using riches for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.

In conclusion, Piero produced this vivid picture of the infant Jesus surrounded by characters from the Bible and church history. Piero’s eccentric ways did not keep him from developing his talents and using them to provide us with a piece of art worthy of discussion. Take time during these busy holiday weeks to think on Christ, to read the Bible which speaks of Him, and to thank Him in prayer for coming to earth as our Savior.

W. Scott Lamb is a pastor with Providence Baptist Church in South St. Louis County, MO. He and his wife Pearl enjoy the challenges and pleasures of raising their four sons. Feel free to contact Scott at www.pbcstlouis.com.