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# The symbolism of the cherry in the Christ Child's hand in a work by Jacobello da Messina
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/bogoroditsa-s-mladentsem-iakobello-da-messina-1470-e-gg/
- Published: 2025-07-30T19:13:58.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T18:46:17.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Faith, Art

Madonna and Child, Jacobello da Messina, 1470s.

In his left hand the Christ Child holds a cherry, which carries an apocryphal meaning as one of the symbols of the infant Christ, and also of joy, virtue, meekness and the tender love between mother and child. Cherries often appear in the same pictures as Christ and the Virgin, especially in compositions with the Child. On the other hand, the bright red of the cherry points to the blood of Christ and the sufferings to come, and through them to the themes of sacrifice and salvation.

Sometimes the Virgin's maphorion is also cherry-coloured, emphasising her exceptional standing in the Church and again touching on the theme of sacrifice.

The author is Jacobello da Messina, an Italian Renaissance painter, son and pupil of the celebrated painter Antonello da Messina. He was a master of religious painting, producing altarpieces and icons, and worked in the late fifteenth century, chiefly in Messina, in Sicily.

![](https://theparnassian.com/content/images/2026/09/photo_17417@30-07-2025_22-13-58.jpg)