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Student Artwork Guide

Enthroned Madonna

Carlo Crivelli, 1473

Name Class Date
Carlo Crivelli, Enthroned Madonna (1473). Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Carlo Crivelli topimpressionists.com/en/artists/carlo-crivelli/
Artist’s dates
1435 – 1495
Painted
1473
Original size
136 x 66 cm
Movement
Early Renaissance The first generation to rebuild depth and lifelike bodies in painting after the Middle Ages.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Carlo Crivelli died in 1495; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1565.

Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

Enthroned Madonna — Carlo Crivelli Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Enthroned Madonna — Carlo Crivelli

How big is it?

The original measures 136 × 66 cm (height × width), drawn here beside an adult of average height.

When was this painted?

  1. 1430
  2. 1440
  3. 1450
  4. 1460
  5. 1470
  6. 1480
  7. 1490

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 60 at death.

Painted when the artist was 38. The artist lived to 60. 22 of the 105 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of Carlo Crivelli (1435–1495) ▲ this work, 1473 every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1473 Main working years: 1473–1490 Late works: from 1490

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/carlo-crivelli-enthroned-madonna-8XXR4T-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Espresso #3b2e2d

    Catalogued palette

    • #3B2E2D
    • #EEE1D8
    • #BBA290
    • #856458

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Espresso
    Intensity
    Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Strong Color Unity How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Bright How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Subtle Color How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Carlo Crivelli over the last twelve months — 13 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 62.7%7,400 visits
    2. 2 United States of America 15.3%1,800 visits
    3. 3 Singapore 5.9%700 visits
    4. 4 Mexico 4.2%500 visits
    5. 5 Hong Kong 2.5%300 visits
    6. 6 Germany 1.7%200 visits
    7. 7 France 1.7%200 visits
    8. 8 Uruguay 1.7%200 visits
    9. 9 Austria 0.8%100 visits
    10. 10 Brazil 0.8%100 visits
    11. · 3 other countries 2.7%300 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Carlo Crivelli

    1. 1 Virgin and Child, 1482 3.5%500 visits
    2. 2 Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints, 1488 2.8%400 visits
    3. 3 Madonna of the Passion, 1460 2.8%400 visits
    4. 4 Saint John the Evangelist, 1475 2.8%400 visits
    5. 5 Annunciation with Saint Emidius, 1486 2.8%400 visits
    6. 6 Lamentation over the Dead Christ, 1485 2.1%300 visits
    7. 7 St Jerome and St Augustine (detail), 1490 2.1%300 visits
    8. 8 St George, 1472 2.1%300 visits
    9. 9 St Jerome and St Augustine, 1490 2.1%300 visits
    10. 10 Polittico di Ascoli Piceno 2.1%300 visits
    11. 11 St. Thomas of Aquino 2.1%300 visits
    12. 12 María Magdalena 1 2.1%300 visits
    13. 13 Apostol St. Peter 2.1%300 visits
    14. 14 Virgin proclamation, 1482 1.4%200 visits
    15. 15 Saint Bartholomew, 1475 1.4%200 visits
    16. 16 Madonna and Child Enthroned, 1477 1.4%200 visits
    17. 17 Saint James of the Marches with two kneeling donor, 1477 1.4%200 visits
    18. 18 Saint Michael, 1476 1.4%200 visits
    19. 19 Apostles, 1473 1.4%200 visits
    20. 24 Enthroned Madonna, 1473 this painting 1.4%200 visits

    Together these works take 41.3% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 192 works by this artist, of which 88 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 24 of them, with 1.4% of that attention (200 visits). The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

    Enthroned Madonna — Carlo Crivelli Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Carlo Crivelli

    Born in Venice, Italy

    early life and training

    carlo crivelli, an italian renaissance painter, was born in venice around 1430-35. he came from a family of painters and received his artistic formation in venice and padua. crivelli's early training is believed to have been under jacobello del fiore, who was still active in 1436. he also studied at the school of vivarini in venice.

    career and style

    crivelli spent his early years in the veneto, absorbing influences from vivarini, squarcione, and mantegna. by 1458, he left the veneto and spent most of his career in the march of ancona, developing a distinctive personal style that contrasts with that of his venetian contemporary giovanni bellini. crivelli's work is characterized by a conservative late gothic decorative sensibility, marked by a linear quality, attention to detail, and the use of "trompe l'oeil" techniques.

    notable works and collaborations

    * carlo crivelli's painting "madonna and child enthroned" (106 x 55 cm, museum of fine arts, budapest, hungary) is a prime example of his style. he collaborated with his younger brother vittorio crivelli on several projects. pietro alemanno, a painter who immigrated to the march of ancona from germany/austria, was his pupil and collaborator.

    museums and collections

    * the pinacoteca di brera in milan, italy, features several of crivelli's works, including "pietà" (128 x 241 cm). * the museum san giovanni in bragora in venice, italy, has a collection of artworks from various periods and styles, including some attributed to crivelli.

    view carlo crivelli's artworks on AllPaintingsStore.com

    explore jacopo robusti's works on AllPaintingsStore.com

    read more about carlo crivelli on wikipedia

    crivelli's legacy continues to inspire art enthusiasts and scholars alike, with his work remaining a testament to the enduring power of conservative late gothic decorative sensibility.

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Enthroned Madonna

    topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/carlo-crivelli-enthroned-madonna-8XXR4T-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Crivelli, Carlo. Enthroned Madonna. 1473, https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/carlo-crivelli-enthroned-madonna-8XXR4T-en/
    APA
    Crivelli, Carlo (1473). Enthroned Madonna [Painting]. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/carlo-crivelli-enthroned-madonna-8XXR4T-en/
    Chicago
    Carlo Crivelli. Enthroned Madonna. 1473. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/carlo-crivelli-enthroned-madonna-8XXR4T-en/
    Harvard
    Crivelli, Carlo (1473) Enthroned Madonna. Available at: https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/carlo-crivelli-enthroned-madonna-8XXR4T-en/

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

    Enthroned Madonna — Carlo Crivelli Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Enthroned Madonna — Carlo Crivelli

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 2 — do you agree?)
    4. Our catalogue files this work under: madonna, child, throne. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    5. Look back at Virgin and Child (1482), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 9, 2026

    Enthroned Madonna — Carlo Crivelli Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    What are the format and size of "Enthroned Madonna"?

    "Enthroned Madonna" by Carlo Crivelli is proportioned as a tall work of 136 x 66 cm.

    What does "Enthroned Madonna" by Carlo Crivelli depict?

    The themes present in "Enthroned Madonna" by Carlo Crivelli include madonna, child, throne, religious, symbolism, renaissance, italy, virgin mary. Together they summarize the artwork's subject matter.

    Is "Enthroned Madonna" free of copyright?

    Regarding copyright, "Enthroned Madonna" is in the public domain - its copyright has expired.