Masaccio
I have a confession to make. The whole DailyArt Team are huge fans of baby Jesuses painted in the Renaissance. Just look at this baby Jesus - he is eating grapes (more on that later) but he looks like he is smoking hmm... something. I love it :)
This was the central panel of a large altarpiece made for the church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Pisa. The Virgin’s sturdy form, which looks similar to contemporary Florentine sculpture, casts a shadow against the carved throne. Christ’s body seems fleshy and three-dimensional; Masaccio has done this by showing how certain areas catch the light, painting them with a lighter tone. His ability to represent holy figures as though they were human was innovative and influential.
Masaccio also used the new technique of single-point perspective, which helped to make certain objects appear closer and others further away. This is clearest in the ‘V’ shape created by the angle of the angel’s lutes.
Christ is shown eating grapes. It’s a reminder of the wine of the Eucharist, which Christians drink in remembrance of the blood Christ shed at his crucifixion, a scene of which would have sat above this image.
P.S. Here you can get to know why babies in Medieval paintings look like ugly old men ;) And here, on the contrary, you will find a whole selection of cute babies in art (although with a little surprise at the end :D)