Madonna
- noun
- /məˈdɑːnə/
- Specialized
- On the left, a traditional Madonna by Raphael.
Examples
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The stereotypes of men in these novels fall into two categories, depicting Spanish men in two polar characterizations that are reminiscent of the "madonna" and "whore" dichotomy of male-authored feminine mythology.
Academic text (1992) -
The picture on the right is the Madonna and Child are full frontal.
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And most obviously in The Madonna and Child with Saint Anne by Leonardo.
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He's got a good deal of the fluid grace oops of the Madonna and the Infant as well.
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As visiting hours ended, Angela, the nurse practitioner, squeezed her ample hips between the crowded isolettes to check the madonna.
Fiction book (1995) -
In response to this psychic evidence, I felt it would be fitting to riff off of all those paintings of madonnas and child, and I decided to insert myself into the revered madonna position.
Fiction book (1995) -
The church features a beautiful Madonna sculpture holding the infant Jesus.
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Visitors admired the classic Madonna painting that depicts Mary with her child.
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Many artists have created their interpretations of the Madonna in various styles over centuries.
Compounds
Surface Forms
Etymology
Madonna for a painting or statue comes from the Italian ma donna 'my lady', because artists used that polite title for pictures of the Virgin Mary; so a 'Madonna' is an image of Mary and child.