Montana Museum: Religious Art (museum exhibition)

by Ojibwa for Museums

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Wednesday, Sep. 04, 2024 Wednesday, Sep. 04, 2024 at 7:15:09am PDT

Art is an important part of many religious traditions. Art has been used as a medium to explain religious mythology as well as to create a sense of the holy. The Montana Museum of Art and Culture on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula included an exhibition of religious art from several traditions.

P1480066 — Shown above is *Madonna and Child*, attributed to Florentine artist Donatello (Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi; 1386-1466); polychrome and gold on stucco.

According to the Museum:

“Devotional painting and sculpture like this image of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child usually included explicit references to a patron. In this case, family crests appear toward the lower corners of the altarpiece.”

P1480067 — Detail from *Madonna and Child*

P1480069 — Shown above is *Presentation of the Chasuble to Saint Ildefonso (panel from a lost alter)*, made about 1490 by an anonymous Spanish artist; tempera on panel.

Note: The chasuble is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist. Symbolically, it represents charity and Christ's sacrifice on behalf of humanity.