by Mary Jessica Hammes
August 25, 2008

Sometimes, in the day-to-day mechanics of getting the baby fed, it’s easy to forget that breastfeeding is purely beautiful.

At 3 a.m., you might feel more of a zombie numbness than a maternal glow. In a parked car in the middle of a summer road trip, breastfeeding is just another task to keep everyone fed and happy while en route from point A to B.

Thankfully, we are reminded of breastfeeding’s loveliness by artists throughout history. Sometimes,breastfeeding is shown as an idealized act: a breastfeeding mother symbolized the concept of charity in religious art in the 1500s and 1600s, and the Republic during the French Revolution. Other times, it’s downright mystical, as in Tintoretto’s “The Origin of the Milky Way” (see below). And a quick Internet search for breastfeeding art will reveal approximately one gazillion images of the Virgin Mary nursing Christ, occasionally with her breasts located somewhere near her neck.

I have a fondness for art that shows breastfeeding as simultaneously life-sustaining and utterly, perfectly, cozily, mundane—check out Mary Cassatt’s “Maternité” (see below).

Here are just a few examples of breastfeeding depicted in art.

• “The Origin of the Milky Way,” Jacopo Tintoretto, c. 1575. So that’s how that happened! A bodacious lactating mama, surrounded by angel babies, shot out golden stars from her breasts like fireworks. The stars that went up formed the Milky Way; those that went down became lilies. Thanks for the science lesson! (This is based on the mythological story of Jupiter trying to immortalize baby Hercules by having Juno breastfeed him.)

• “Virgin and Child Surrounded by Angels,” part of the Melun diptych, Jean Fouquet, c. 1450. I’m not sure which is more riveting: the slightly creepy red and blue angels, or the…interesting placement of the breasts. They’re like perfectly round, practically nipple-less orbs, miraculously suspended above a vise-tightened waist. Everyone seems to have blank expressions of acceptance of this truly celestial physiology.

• Batik painting, Chuah Thean Teng. Chuah Thean Teng, a contemporary artist and pioneer of Malaysian batik painting, combines rich, glowing color and voluptuous forms in his work, much of it focused on mothers and breastfeeding. You can see more examples of his stunning art here.

• “Madonna Nursing the Child,” Leonardo da Vinci, 1490. Both mother and child look sleepily blissful here, which brings back lovely memories of prolactin-induced naps.

• “The Virgin Nursing the Child,” Albrecht Dürer, 1519. The fine lines of this engraving lend a glowing affect to Mary and Jesus here—indeed, their halos seem extra-radiant. It does not appear as though Dürer was familiar with the proper “C hold.”

• “Rest on the Flight to Egypt” (detail), Jan Brueghel the Elder, 1607. In the middle of this green pastoral lushness, Mary rests to nurse. She isn’t the focus of the painting—just going about her business, taking a break from the bustling workers around her.

• “Rest on the Flight into Egypt,” Orazio Gentileschi, c. 1628. It’s the same subject as Brueghel’s, but an entirely different take. Joseph is properly passed out, bringing to mind my own sweet husband napping during early-morning nursing sessions. As for Mary and Jesus, they are the very picture of comfort here, Jesus snuggling into his mother’s side.

• “Allegory of Charity,” Jacques Blanchard, 1600s. The warm light gives an extra sweetness to this domestic moment: a mother nurses as her other two plump and cherubic children amuse themselves. Sitting on the floor, surrounded by the soft folds of her dress, she looks utterly comfortable.

• “Virgin and Child,” Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, 1490s. As a distracted baby Jesus pulls away, his mother looks startlingly modern with her wry look. We’ve all been there: “Well, kid, now what?”

• “Madonna and Child with Eight Angels,” Sandro Botticelli, c. 1478. Jesus looks over his shoulder while parting his mother’s shirt; Mary looks gorgeous. (This is a Botticelli, after all.) In fact, everyone looks like heavenly supermodels, including the androgynous angels clustered in the background. I particularly like the very natural position of Mary’s left hand, grasping Jesus’ leg.

• “Maternité”, Mary Cassatt, 1890. Mary Cassatt, the American impressionist, famously painted women and children. All is rosy and sweet in this painting—the natural pose, the fat baby looking awkwardly toward the viewer, the mother’s free hand gently curling near the baby’s.

• “Christ Blessing the Children,” Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1540s. Next time a religious person gives you guff about nursing your baby, gently remind them that Jesus was probably a big fan, if we can believe this painting. It really is sweet—a crowd of nursing mothers and naked babies are gathered for a blessing from Jesus, who himself is holding and kissing a delighted-looking baby.

• “Charity,” Guido Reni, 1630. A beautiful red-haired, creamy-skinned family is in a tranquil embrace. The nursing mother looks remarkably serene as she envelops all of her babes in her arms.

• “Madonna of the Green Cushion,” Andrea Solari, 1507. Could this be a prototype Boppy? Besides that titular cushion, what makes this painting so striking is Mary’s intent gaze into her child’s face as she leans over him, very close.

Mary Jessica Hammes is an Athens, Georgia-based writer, trapeze instructor, knitter, gardener, comic book enthusiast, and hula hooper. She is mom to Tommy.