Madonna and Child

The Virgin Mary was highly venerated in Counter-Reformation Italy, partly due to Protestant reformers' cries that she had become too prominent in the Church. Depictions of the Madonna were never more popular, and Ricci, in turn, promoted them in China. Guido Reni was one of the great masters of Marian imagery. His intimate portrayal of Mother and Child typifies the subject's appeal for the Chinese. It not only presented a warm, accessible vision of God, but also brought to mind the beloved Buddhist deity Kuan-yin. In fact, the Jesuits' promotion of the Madonna in China is thought to have influenced the version of Kuan-yin popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, which shows her holding an infant son.