Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Canvas, tempera.
Size: 42×33 cm
Brief history of creation
Description and analysis
The landscape deserves special mention, to which Leonardo always assigns a special role in his works. And when comparing two pictures, it can also be considered as confirmation of their pairing. If in the "Madonna Benois" the viewer enjoys the crystal clearness and clarity of the sky, then in the "Madonna Litta" the artist depicted a mountain landscape, symbolizing the beauty of the earthly world.
The proposed theory about the relationship between the two famous paintings by Leonardo has not won unanimous recognition, but in any case it is interesting because it allows you to take a completely new look at the great works of art that have long become famous.
Description of the painting "Madonna and Child" by Leonardo da Vinci
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Name of the painting: "Madonna Litta"
The picture was painted: 1490-1491
Canvas, tempera.
Size: 42×33 cm
This painting by Leonardo da Vinci is one of the works that marked a new stage in the art of the Renaissance - the establishment of the High Renaissance style. The beautiful woman depicted on the canvas, feeding the baby, is the personification of maternal love as the greatest human value. The painting is named after its former owner, Duke Antoine Litta.
Brief history of creation
Around one of the most beautiful images of the Mother of God with the Child, disputes still do not subside, the main theme of which is the authorship of Leonardo. Some art historians tend to consider it the fruit of the work of the maestro's students (with the exception of the face of the Mother of God, whose belonging to the brush of Leonardo, few dare to deny). The date of creation of the painting is also not known for certain. According to the official version, it is customary to attribute it to the Milan period of Da Vinci's life. However, there are opinions about later dates relating to the period of residence of Leonardo in Rome.
Description and analysis
The painting “Madonna and Child” is one of the famous masterpieces of the Hermitage collection, which arouses invariable delight and reverence on the part of the audience. The composition of the picture is balanced and concise. The figures of Mary and the baby Christ are modeled using the finest chiaroscuro. In the openings of symmetrically located windows, a mountain landscape opens up to the viewer's gaze, as if reminding of the harmony of the entire universe. The so-called Madonna Litta is depicted by the master as a thoughtful and serious woman. She has the artist's favorite type of beauty - a high, clean forehead, a somewhat elongated nose, a mouth with slightly raised corners of the lips (the famous "Leonard smile") and slightly reddish hair. This image is the epitome of an ideally beautiful woman. However, he is not impassive. However, all the feelings experienced by the woman depicted in the picture are deeply hidden by the artist so as not to disturb the clear harmony of her appearance. They are slightly manifested only in the expression of hidden sadness and in a sliding mysterious half-smile. The depicted baby also looks sad and serious beyond his age. The golden-haired baby looks absently at the viewer, holding his mother's breast with his right hand. In his left hand is a goldfinch bird, a symbol of the Christian soul. The figure of the Madonna is depicted in such a way that its contours stand out clearly against the background of the wall. Illumination of the female silhouette, contrary to the usual logic, does not come from windows located symmetrically behind, but from somewhere in front and to the left, softly modeling faces and bodies.
The main meaning of the work, as in the previous works of the master, remains humanity, respect for genuine deep feelings. A mother is breastfeeding her child, looking at him thoughtfully, full of tenderness. The baby, overflowing with healthy vital energy, spins in her arms, turning over her legs. He resembles his mother in his swarthy complexion and golden hair. A woman admires the baby, immersed in her thoughts, focusing on him all the power of her feelings. In the depiction of the Madonna and the Child, the artist achieved exceptional expressiveness.
However, if we analyze how Leonardo achieves this expressiveness, we can see that the maestro uses rather generalized and concise ways of depicting. The face of the Madonna is turned in profile. The viewer sees only one eye, while its pupil is not drawn. The lips also cannot be called clearly smiling, only a shadow in the corner of the mouth hints at a smile. At the same time, the tilt of the head itself, the shadows gliding over the face, a slightly guessing look create that unique feeling of spirituality that Leonardo loved and knew how to portray. Completing the stage of a long search in the art of the Renaissance, the artist, based on the exact embodiment of the visible, creates an image filled with poetry, in which everything random and petty is discarded and those features that create a sublime and exciting idea of a person are left. Thus, the master brings together the disparate efforts of his predecessors and contemporaries and, significantly ahead of them, raises Italian art to a new level.
The Hermitage has two works by Leonardo depicting the Mother of God - "Madonna Litta" and "Madonna Benois". Some art critics and art historians tend to believe that these two famous paintings are closely related. There are several opinions on this topic. According to one of the theories, the author of which is Mikhail Anikin, senior researcher at the Hermitage, the Benois Madonna illustrates the divine nature of Jesus Christ, while the Lita Madonna should be viewed as a reflection of the human nature of Christ. This pairing of two masterpieces is an illustration of the statement of the Christian Church that in Christ the Divine and human principles are united. As a confirmation of this version, one can consider the absence of halos, symbolizing the divine principle, around the heads of Mary and the baby in the "Madonna Litta", while they are present in the "Madonna Benois". This interpretation of the relationship between the two paintings could also be an unconditional proof of the authorship of Leonardo, since art critics do not doubt that his brush belongs to the Benois Madonna.
0 August 19, 2017, 10:45 am 
The 59-year-old posted on her Instagram page a very rare shot of all her children: Lourdes, 20, Rocco, 17, David and Mercy, 11, and Stella and Esther, 4. Together with them, she celebrated her birthday in the Italian town of Lecce on the Salentina Peninsula.
Never before has a celebrity published all six children on social networks, so this picture can be considered one of the most valuable in the singer's account. In June, Madonna had a photo that was captured with Lourdes, Rocco, David and Mercy, but without the black babes from Malawi. To make the frame seem complete, the singer resorted to the help of Photoshop and added a frame with Stella and Esther to the same picture with the rest of the children.
Birthday,
So tersely signed a fresh star.
The reaction of the fans was very predictable: they instantly began to leave thousands of comments and continued to congratulate Madonna on the holiday.
The singer celebrated her birthday for two days. During this time, she and her children managed to walk around the neighborhood, attend a concert and even perform two of her hits on it, ride a horse and have a noisy costume party. By the way, Madonna's daughters were dressed in the same Dolce & Gabbana floral print dresses.
Recall that Stella and Esther were in February this year. Since then, the girls have been constantly appearing on the singer's Instagram. The star does not hide that she is happy next to them. And the rest of the children seem to be very happy for their mother.
Madonna's eldest daughter, Lourdes, was born in 1996. Her biological father is the Cuban athlete Carlos Leon, with whom the celebrity then met. When the singer married director Gaia Ritchie, Rocco was born in 2000. Six years later, the couple adopted 13-month-old David. In 2009, Madonna, having already parted with her second husband, adopted Mercy, whom she took from the same orphanage in Malawi as David.
Instagram photo
Mother and newborn baby is one of the most popular subjects in art.
He was given special attention by both popular and well-known artists (Leonardo da Vinci and Rafael Santi), and little known to the general public (Bartolomeo Murillo, di Marcovaldo and others).
Virgin Mary di Marcovaldo
Coppo di Marcovaldo is considered the founder of the Sienese school of fine arts. His fate is quite interesting, because in the middle of the XIII century. he participated in one of the battles on the side of the Florentine adherents of the Pope, as a result of which the artist was captured. But since he was very talented, he was able to "buy" his freedom by painting a very beautiful and quite realistic image of the Madonna and Child, which was then transferred to the Siena Church. This Madonna was called "Madonna del Bordone".
This picture presents the viewer with the Virgin Mary sitting on a throne, slightly raising one leg so that the baby would be more comfortable sitting in her arms. She touchingly holds his leg, and he reaches out to her hand. They already have some noticeable interaction, which was not observed in earlier paintings.
The head of the Virgin is surrounded by a barely visible halo. It is worth noting the incredibly expressive eyes of this Madonna. She looks at the viewer, as if looking into his soul. Her clothes are a simple black cape, but for greater chic, the artist painted the draperies in gold. On the sides, left and right, are angels depicted in full growth (this is the tradition of Florence). Usually they were drawn the same, but these, if you look closely, are not completely identical to each other: the differences are in their faces.
From the less well-known, let's move on to the more popular ones and take a closer look at the brightest paintings on this topic.
"Madonna Litta" by Leonardo da Vinci
One of the most depicting the Madonna and Child is the painting "Madonna Litta" by the brightest Leonardo da Vinci. Now it can be seen among the masterpieces kept in the Hermitage.
The main face on this canvas is a young woman who holds a baby in her arms and breastfeeds him. As in all, it stands out more than the background, where the viewer can observe the windows in the form of arches, through which one can see a bright blue sky with fluffy white clouds. It is worth noting that the Madonna and Child are drawn very clearly, her features seem to be highlighted, as if drawn under a camera flash, compared to a somewhat smeared background - these are also the hallmarks of portraits of that era.
Mom looks at the child with tenderness. It seems to some that she smiles slightly (the "Leonardo smile" popular for the artist's paintings), in fact, the Madonna is thoughtful. The child looks at the viewer, holding a bird in one of the handles - a small goldfinch.
Goldfinch in the painting "Madonna Litta"
There are various versions of why the chick is depicted in this picture.
The bird as a symbol of the future suffering of Christ, where the red head of the carduelis denotes the blood shed by the Son of God. According to legend, when Christ was being led to Golgotha, a goldfinch fell on him, pulled a thorn out of Jesus' eyebrow, and blood dripped on him.
Goldfinch, symbolizing the soul, which flies away after death: this designation comes from ancient paganism, but is also preserved in Christian semiotics.
The apocryphal gospel of Thomas tells a slightly different story: Jesus revived a dead goldfinch by simply picking it up, which is why many paintings depict this chick along with the baby.
Madonnas by Raphael Santi
But there is another, no less famous Madonna and Child. Raphael Santi was the one who wrote it. Or rather, he has a lot of paintings with such a plot: this is the well-known and kept in the Hermitage "Madonna Conestabile", and the extraordinary "Madonna with a Veil", which depicts not only a mother and child, but the entire Holy Family.
Directly the picture with the title "Madonna and Child" Raphael painted in 1503. The woman on it is more refined and, undoubtedly, younger than that of da Vinci. Obviously, the bond between mother and child is more pronounced. They look at each other with touching love and light thoughtfulness, the mother supports the baby by the back with her hand. This is no longer the disturbing Virgin that can be seen in the early paintings of the artist.
Together they read the Book of Hours - a symbol of the authority of the church - which contains the texts of prayers, psalms, church services (earlier, by the way, it was from this book that they learned to read). According to some reports, the Book of Hours is open on the page that corresponds to nine o'clock, and this is the time when Jesus was crucified on the cross.
A smoky landscape with a church and trees is drawn in the background. By the way, this landscape can also be called a distinctive characteristic of Santi's works on the theme of mother and child. Almost every painting by Raphael has a fairly detailed landscape background.
It makes no sense to determine whose picture is better: da Vinci or Raphael. Madonna and Child each of them looks original and unique.
Not only fine arts were interested in the theme of mother and child, so it is worth considering how it was reflected in other types.
Madonna and Child in sculpture
The attention of any connoisseur of art is attracted by the sculpture "Madonna and Child", the author of which is the famous master Michelangelo.
This masterpiece, according to the plan of the customers, was supposed to be at a height of about nine meters, so the audience would look at it from the bottom up, like a deity. By the way, it is for this reason that the eyes of the mother and child are directed downwards.
There is evidence that Cardinal Piccolomini (the first customer) was dissatisfied with the sketches, primarily because Jesus was naked, so their contract with Michelangelo was broken. And the sculpture, of course, found its owner. They became de Mouscron - a merchant from the city of Bruges. He then handed it over to the Church of Our Lady, where it was placed in a dark niche that contrasted beautifully with the marble-white color of the sculpture itself.
At the moment, in order to protect the city authorities placed it behind bulletproof glass.
"Madonna Doni" Michelangelo
In addition to being an excellent sculptor, Michelangelo was also a wonderful painter. Although he did not consider it some kind of achievement and was not at all proud of his talent.
The images drawn by him amaze the viewer with incredible plasticity, it seems that even when drawing, he "sculpts" the figures, endowing them with volume. In addition, the painting depicts the entire Holy Family, which was rare for paintings of this kind. Of course, in the full sense of the word, Michelangelo is a sculptor, not an artist. "Madonna and Child" however is simply a masterpiece.
So, let's sum up. If we talk about the most famous painting depicting the Virgin Mary, then this is Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece "Madonna and Child". If a person is interested in other types of art, then the most striking and memorable, of course, is the work of Michelangelo.
Raphael, perhaps Italy's most popular and widely appreciated Renaissance painter, was a man of the most varied talents. He changed Bramante in the position of architect of St. Peter's, supervised the excavations of ancient Roman antiquities, performed monumental frescoes, brilliant religious compositions and portraits. However, he is best known as an artist of the Madonnas, and his unsurpassed popularity in later generations is due mainly to the harmony and beauty of the images of the Virgin he created. He portrayed the Madonna as a heavenly being, which at the same time consisted of flesh and blood. In the paintings of Raphael, the Madonna is presented in a wide variety of forms: on a throne, soaring in heaven, against the background of a natural landscape or in an interior interior, together with the Christ Child or surrounded by saints.
Raphael. Madonna and Child with Saints, c. 1502
Wood, oil. 34 x 29 cm. Berlin Art Gallery
This picture, close in spirit to the pacifying art Perugino, also known as Madonna von der Ropp. Raphael presented here the Mother of God with the blessing of the Christ Child, surrounded by Saints Jerome and Francis.
Raphael. Madonna and Child with Saints. OK. 1502
Raphael. Solly Madonna, ca. 1502
Wood, oil. 52 x 38 cm. Berlin Art Gallery
Before coming to Florence, Raphael had already created small prayer images of the Madonna and Child, associated with the then popularity of various versions of Perugino's paintings. An interesting series of this type can be seen in several examples from 1502-1504, painted on the theme of the Madonna with a book. These are the paintings "Madonna Solly" (now in Berlin, previously owned by the Englishman Edward Solly), "Madonna Norton Simon" (in California) and "Madonna Conestabile" (in St. Petersburg).
Raphael. Solly Madonna, ca. 1502
In the Madonna Solly painting, the Virgin Mary is reading, and the Christ child turns his head towards her book. In his hands is a finch - a prototype of his future Passion, and the Virgin Mary reads prophecies about them.
Raphael. Madonna Diotallevi. OK. 1504
Wood, oil. 69 x 50 cm. Bode Museum, Berlin
This Madonna was once in the Diotallevi Rimini collection. At one time it was believed that Perugino wrote it, but then the authorship of Raphael became almost universally recognized. Only the art historian Adolfo Venturi believes that the Diotallevi Madonna was created by some third, unknown master.
The Virgin Mary is depicted here not in full growth. Christ sits on her lap, and John the Baptist stands next to her.
Raphael. Madonna Diotallevi. OK. 1503
In this Madonna by Raphael, the echoes of Gothic painting are still strong. They are especially noticeable in Mary's too small head. Sitting on her lap, Jesus blesses the infant John the Baptist. The landscape is somewhat reminiscent of the art of northern masters
Although the composition of the "Madonna of Diotallevi" and the types of its characters are reminiscent of the style of Perugino, its strict simplicity and bright colors can be recognized as characteristic features of Raphael's art.
The background of the "Madonna of Diotallevi" is typical of the Umbrian school: these are distant, barely distinguishable hills, drawn in a gentle, clear air.
Raphael. Madonna and Child. OK. 1503
The Madonna holds the Christ Child with great tenderness. Both of them read the Book of Hours together, which is opened at the prayer of the ninth hour after dawn - the hour of the Annunciation, when the Virgin found out that she was to give birth to the Messiah. But the ninth hour was also the hour of Jesus' death on the cross. Looking up from reading, the Madonna and her Son look thoughtfully at each other, with the thought of future events.
Raphael. Madonna and Child. OK. 1503
This painting by Raphael is also known as the "Madonna of Norton Simon" - in its location in the Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena, a suburb of Los Angeles, USA).
Raphael. Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints. Altar of the Colonna family. 1504-1505
Tempera and gold on wood. 172 x 172 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
This panel and lunette are a relatively early work by Raphael and are also known as the Colonna Altarpiece. It was written for the monastery of St. Anthony of Padua in Perugia. Raphael began this painting when he was barely 20 years old, just before leaving for Florence (1504) and completed it the following year after returning to Perugia.
Raphael. Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints. Altar of the Colonna family. 1504-1505
The influence of Raphael's teacher, Perugino, can be seen in the conservative composition. Nevertheless, Raphael was able to inject into this closely spaced group the breadth and dignity he had drawn from the work of Fra Bartolomeo in Florence. Particularly beautiful is the way in which the figures fill the curved shape of the lunette. On the sides of the Mother of God and Christ are the infant John the Baptist, Saints Peter, Catherine, Cecilia (?) and Paul.
Raphael. Madonna Granduk. 1504
Wood, oil. 84 x 57 cm. Gallery Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence
"Madonna Granduka" was written by Raphael at the beginning of the Florentine period of creativity. The figures of the Mother of God and the Child seem to emerge from a dark background (an element apparently borrowed from Leonardo da Vinci). They are connected to each other by a feeling of tender love, which is seen primarily in the gesture of the child: looking towards the viewer, he clings to his mother.
Raphael. Madonna Granduk. 1504
"Madonna Granduk" - one of the most beautiful creations of Raphael's early period. The interpretation of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Raphael was accepted by subsequent generations as the same “standard” as the concept of God the Father developed by Michelangelo. Paintings such as the Granduk Madonna are recognized as truly "classical" in the sense that they have served countless generations as the standard of perfection, as before the works of Phidias and Praxiteles.
If we compare Raphael's Madonna Granduk with the countless canvases of the same theme of his predecessors, we feel that they were all just a search for that perfect simplicity that Raphael finally achieved. It seems that the image of the Madonna and Christ cannot be otherwise, that it has existed since the beginning of time.
Raphael. Madonna Conestabile (Madonna with a book). 1504
Tempera, canvas, transferred from wood. Diameter 17.9 cm. Hermitage St. Petersburg
"Madonna Conestabile" - a picture from the series of Our Lady with a book. It also includes Madonna Solly, Norton Simon's Madonna and other works by Raphael.
In 1871, the Conestabile family of Perugia sold the miniature Conestabile Madonna to the Russian Tsar Alexander II, who presented it to his wife, Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna. So the picture ended up in the St. Petersburg Hermitage.
Raphael. Madonna Conestabile (Madonna with a book). 1504
Even before working on Madonna Conestabile, Raphael had to deal with the problem of creating round compositions. In this circular painting, he ensured the appropriate placement of the figures by aligning the vertical figure of the Madonna with the horizontal lines of the landscape.
When the Conestabile Madonna was transferred from wood to canvas at the end of the 19th century, it was discovered that at first, instead of a book, the Mother of God had a pomegranate in her hands, personifying the blood of Christ shed during the martyrdom of the Cross.
The Soviet leaders, who widely sold the art treasures of pre-revolutionary museums for foreign currency, took Raphael's Madonna Conestabile to Europe for auction. Fortunately, there was no buyer for it at that moment, and the painting remained in the Hermitage.
Raphael. Conestabile Madonna (with frame). 1504
Luxurious frame "Madonna Conestabile", apparently, was also executed according to the sketch of Raphael.
Raphael. Madonna and Child (Small Cowper Madonna). 1504-1505
Oil, wood. 58 x 43 cm. National Gallery of Art. Washington
The Small Cowper Madonna is so named because it was the smaller of two Raphael Madonnas owned by the English collector Lord Cowper. This painting was painted by Raphael at the age of 22. It reflects not only the strong influence of his Umbrian teacher, Perugino, but also of his Florentine rivals, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Raphael. Madonna and Child (Small Cowper Madonna). 1504-1505
The Small Cowper Madonna is a more analytical version of the homogeneous and internally stable group of Granduk's Madonna. The influence of Raphael Leonardo is felt here in a wide, soft landscape. The landscape of Cowper's Little Madonna includes a small cylindrical-domed church, perhaps a nod to Bramante's architecture. It is possible that this is the Franciscan monastery of San Bernardino near Raphael's hometown, Urbino.
Raphael. Madonna Terranuova. OK. 1505
Wood, oil. Diameter 86 cm. State Museums, Berlin
The perfect circle shape was popular in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries as a symbol of cosmic harmony. Raphael used it in his painting "Madonna Terranuova". Jesus Christ is shown here with the infant John the Baptist and another holy child on the right side. The triangle formed by the Virgin Mary and two standing boys is characteristic of the High Renaissance.
Raphael. Madonna Terranuova. OK. 1505
The scroll held by Jesus and John the Baptist is inscribed with the Latin text: "Behold the Lamb of God." These are the words spoken by John at the Baptism of Christ.
Raphael. Madonna in the Green (Madonna of the Belvedere). 1506
Wood, oil. 113 x 88 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
The painting "Madonna in the Green", also called "Madonna in the Meadows" and "Madonna of the Belvedere", depicts an apocryphal meeting between the infant Jesus and John the Baptist. Raphael represents here the Christ-boy receiving the cross from John.
Raphael. Madonna in green, 1506
The “twisted” figures of two children clearly reflect the figurative methods of Michelangelo. The pyramidal structure of the group of characters in the Madonna in the Green evokes Leonardo da Vinci. But in the three-dimensional concept borrowed from Leonardo, Raphael gives his characteristic idyllic serenity.
Raphael. Madonna with a goldfinch. 1507
Wood, oil. 107 x 77 cm. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
"Madonna with a Goldfinch" was written by Raphael for his friend, a wealthy merchant Lorenzo Nazi. This painting was seriously damaged by the partial collapse of Nazi's house in the collapse of Mount San George (1548). Subsequently, the "Madonna with a Goldfinch" was restored by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio.
The Christ Child lovingly strokes the goldfinch, which the boy John the Baptist holds out to him. At first glance, this can be seen as a simple game of children, but we must not forget that the goldfinch in the symbolism of the Renaissance was the personification of the Passion (for this bird feeds on thorns). The goldfinch here is a symbol of the future Passion of Christ, and the face of the baby Jesus, who receives a chick from John, is very serious.
Raphael. Madonna with a goldfinch. 1507
The composition of this painting by Raphael almost repeats "", but with the essential difference that the children in the "Madonna with a Goldfinch" are more closely united with the central figure of the Virgin. The color of this painting is more lively than that of the Madonna in the Green. The landscape, with peaked roofs and tall spiers unusual for Mediterranean Italy, reflects the influence of Flemish art. The image of the Child leaning with bare toes on the foot of the Virgin Mary is clearly inspired by Michelangelo’s statue of the “Madonna of Bruges” made shortly before.
According to Vasari, Christ and John the Baptist in the painting "Madonna with a Goldfinch" "form a group full of some kind of childish simplicity and at the same time deep feeling, not to mention the fact that they are so well executed in color and so carefully written out that seem to be made of living flesh, and not made with paint and drawing.
Raphael. Madonna and Child with John the Baptist (Beautiful Gardener). 1507
Wood, oil. 122 x 80 cm Louvre Museum, Paris
The composition of the "Beautiful Gardener" is a mirror image of the "Madonna in the Green". Raphael did not complete this painting, and it is said to have been completed by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio. Later, the “Beautiful Gardener” was acquired by the King of France, Francis I. This painting is known primarily for the harmonic and proportional balancing of the poses of the figures. The face of the Mother of God from the "Beautiful Gardener" served as a model of beauty for many generations of artists.
Raphael. Madonna and Child with John the Baptist (Beautiful Gardener). 1507
"The Beautiful Gardener" is the culmination of all the Florentine Madonnas of Raphael.
Raphael. Bridgewater Madonna. OK. 1507
Oil on canvas, transferred from the panel. 81 x 57 cm. Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh
Technical studies of the painted surface of the "Madonna of Bridgewater" during the restoration showed that the painting was originally a natural landscape. Its elimination and replacement with a dark interior setting allowed Raphael to focus the viewer's attention on the two central figures, with dramatic emphasis on the contrast of light and dark.
Raphael. Bridgewater Madonna. OK. 1507
The body of the child Jesus in the Bridgewater Madonna is carefully modeled to achieve a solid, voluminous effect that gives it a sculptural quality. The sculptural solidity and double "twisting" of the infant is probably inspired by the work of Michelangelo Tondo Taddei.
Raphael. Madonna of Kanijani (Holy Family of Kanijani). 1507
Wood, oil. 131 x 107 cm. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
The name of the painting comes from the Florentine Canigiani family, who initially owned this work by Raphael. Madonna and Righteous Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) are sitting on the grass with their children. Joseph the Betrothed stands over them.
Raphael. Madonna of Kanijani (Holy Family of Kanijani). Version after restoration by Hubert von Sonnenburg
The pyramid, in which the figures of the Canigiani Madonna fit perfectly, is borrowed from Leonardo da Vinci, but the mutual feelings between the participants in the scene, expressed by their views and the general serene mood, give the composition a calm descriptive character. Therefore, the overall tone of the painting is quite different from the tense and agitated art of Leonardo.
In 1982, the German restorer Hubert von Sonnenburg undertook the restoration of the Canigiani Madonna and removed the distorting blue layer of paint applied in the 18th century in the sky area. Raphael's original concept can now be seen again, with putti (angels) on the left and right at the top.
Raphael. Madonna under the canopy. 1507-1508
Canvas, oil. 276 x 224 cm Palatine Gallery (Palazzo Pitti), Florence
The versatility and inexhaustible variety of Raphael's art allow him to move in his paintings from simple forms to more monumental and complex ones, from a calm mood to powerful emotionality.
An example of his complex and emotional work is the Madonna under the Canopy. Its monumental composition is borrowed partly from the Venetian tradition, partly from Fra Bartolomeo. The apse of the church strongly resembles the large compositions of the great Venetian Giovanni Bellini, and the influence of Fra Bartolomeo is manifested mainly in the monumentality and in the poses of the figures.
Raphael. Madonna under the canopy. 1507-1508
The semicircular arrangement of the saints around the Madonna and the excitement of the flying angels who hold up the veil of the canopy give a feeling of free air circulation. All the figures of the Madonna under the Canopy are placed differently and express a wide variety of feelings. In the future, it will be even more clearly demonstrated in Raphael's large descriptive compositions, which he will create for the Vatican.
The Mother of God sits on a throne under a canopy. Saints Peter and Bernard are to her left, and Saint Augustine, and probably St. James the Elder (Zebedee) are on the right.
Raphael. Holy family with a lamb. 1507
Wood, oil. 29 x 21 cm. Prado Museum, Madrid
The small painting "The Holy Family with the Lamb" is intended for personal worship and refers to the Florentine period of Raphael's work, before he went to Rome. In Florence, the young artist sought to assimilate the style of such masters as Leonardo and the early Michelangelo. But the miniature subtlety and calmness of the "Holy Family with the Lamb" resurrects the period of Raphael's initial training in Umbria with Perugino. Here his familiarity with Netherlandish painting is also manifested, especially evident in the landscape.
Raphael. Holy family with a lamb. 1507
There are several versions of this painting. All of them depict the Madonna supporting Christ, who sits astride a lamb - with the figure of old Joseph, dominating the others. This version, from the Prado Museum (Madrid), was later marked with the words RAPHAEL URBINAS MDVII on the neckline of the Virgin. The art critic Pedretti notes that the Vaduz version of The Holy Family with the Lamb was signed in 1504, so, apparently, it should be considered original.
Raphael. Large Cowper Madonna (Madonna and Child). 1508
Wood, oil. 81 x 57 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington
The dominance of the lyrical and graceful beginnings over the religious content makes it possible to attribute this painting (also known as Madonna Niccolini - Cowper) to the Florentine period of Raphael's work, 1505-08. Indeed, it is signed and dated 1508, the end of Raphael's stay in Florence. The date 1508 and the artist's monogram "RV" are placed in the embroidery of the Virgin's dress. The name "Madonna Niccolini - Cowper" comes from the names of two former owners of the painting.
The voluminous, well-formed figures speak of Michelangelo's early influence on Raphael, while the soft modeling and use of chiaroscuro speak of the influence of Leonardo da Vinci. The influence of Fra Bartolomeo is even clearer in this Madonna.
Raphael. Madonna and Child (Cowper's Big Madonna). 1508
The composition of Cowper's Big Madonna is extremely simple. The whole scene is reduced to the movement of the Child, who reaches out with his hand to the Virgin Mary, and looks at the viewer with his eyes, and the gesture with which the Madonna holds her hand to her chest. Here, for the first time, a feeling of anxious motherhood appears, which Raphael will express with even greater force in the Tempi Madonna (Alte Pinakothek, Munich).
Raphael. Madonna Tempi. 1508
Wood, oil. 75 x 51 cm. Alte Pinakothek, Munich
The feeling of maternal anxiety, intensified by an unsettling foreboding of the future, is powerfully expressed by Raphael in the Tempi Madonna. She looks only at him, but Christ himself looks at the viewer and thus draws us to this intimate scene.
Raphael. Madonna Tempi. 1508
The two figures of the Tempi Madonna are conceived as a single group that defines the entire visual effect of the scene. The wind-blown robe of the Madonna creates the effect of movement. Two conflicting goals: the artist's need for formal beauty, on the one hand, and the emotional / heavenly truthfulness of the figures, on the other, are achieved in the Tempi Madonna by demonstrating the mother's tenderness for the child.
The name of the painting comes from the Florentine surname Tempi, to whom this Madonna originally belonged.
Raphael. Esterhazy Madonna (Madonna and Child with Child John the Baptist). OK. 1508
Wood, tempera, oil. 29 x 22 cm. Budapest
Raphael placed his sublime and beautiful Madonnas in the midst of idealized green landscapes. This is well demonstrated by the surprisingly refined small panel of the Esterhazy Madonna (now kept in Budapest). It was painted at the beginning of the artist's stay in Rome. The incompleteness of this work reveals some details of the process of its creation. The idyllic atmosphere of the landscape with Roman architectural motifs complements the harmony of figures and colors.
Raphael. Esterhazy Madonna (Madonna and Child with Child John the Baptist). OK. 1508
This painting by Raphael was presented to the wife of Emperor Charles by Pope Clement XI. Later, perhaps as a gift from Empress Maria Theresa, it passed into the possession of Prince Kaunitz, and from him, in the 18th century, into the collection of Prince Esterhazy - hence the name "Esterhazy Madonna". Numerous reproductions testify to the popularity of this painting. Raphael's preparatory sketch for it is kept in the Uffizi collection.
Raphael. Ansidei Madonna (Madonna and Child, Ansidei altarpiece), c. 1505
Wood, oil. 209.6 x 148.6 cm. National Gallery, London
The light landscape background and high canopy of the Madonna Ansidei vaguely resemble the art of Piero della Francesca, but the types of figures are psychologically more complex and structurally more voluminous. The painting gives rise to feelings of monumentality and harmonic proportion, constant in the later art of Raphael.
The Ansidea altar also had a predella with three panels. They depicted the sermon of John the Baptist, the scene of the marriage of the Virgin and an illustration to the legend of the salvation of the lives of sailors by St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Raphael. Holy family with beardless Joseph. 1506
Tempera on canvas, transferred from wood. 74 x 57 cm Hermitage, St. Petersburg
One of the versions of the Holy Family, painted by Raphael. Its peculiarity is that Saint Joseph, usually depicted with a beard, is represented here as beardless. There is an assumption that this is one of the two paintings mentioned by Vasari that were made by Raphael in Urbino for Guidobaldo da Montefeltro.
Raphael. Holy family with beardless Joseph. 1506
The way in which Joseph is depicted in this picture - very characteristic of portraits of private individuals and unusual for the iconography of saints - gave rise to hypotheses that in this case one of his contemporaries served as the prototype for Raphael. It is more likely, however, that the artist was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's depictions of old people.
Raphael. Madonna Column. OK. 1508
Canvas, oil. 77 x 56 cm State Museums, Berlin
Raphael's painting "Madonna Column" is named after the Roman princely family, from which several popes came out. Painted in 1508, the first year of Raphael's stay in Rome, this Madonna is executed in surprisingly light colors. This suggests that the painting may not be fully completed.
Raphael. Madonna Column. OK. 1508
Baby Jesus distracts the Virgin Mary from reading. He looks at the viewer, holding out his hand to the Madonna's neckline and clearly wanting her to feed him. The twisting of the figures ("torsion"), borrowed from the great Florentine masters, greatly removes this picture of Raphael from the self-contained, static world of his first teacher, Perugino.
Raphael. Madonna Loreto (Madonna with a Veil). 1509-1510
Wood, oil. 120 x 90 cm. Condé Museum, Chantilly, France
This image of the Madonna was given to the Roman church of Santa Maria del Popolo by Pope Julius II. The painting with a strong late upper layer of "corrections" was associated with the name of the artist Penny until 1979, but then was recognized as the undoubted work of Raphael.
Raphael. Madonna Loreto. 1509-1510
The Madonna of Loreto is one of Raphael's most frequently copied works. The number of known copies of it is close to 120. The name "Madonna of Loreto" comes from one - now lost - copy in the Roman basilica of Santa Casa di Loreto. This copy was considered for a very long time the original painting by Raphael.
Raphael. Sistine Madonna. 1513-1514.
Canvas, oil. 270 x 201 cm. Old Masters Gallery, Dresden
On the canvas with the Virgin Mary, the Child, Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara, usually called the "Sistine Madonna", the characters are located in an imaginary space that they themselves create. The figures stand on a bed of clouds, framed by heavy curtains that are open to both sides. The Madonna, as it were, emerges from the sky through the plane of the picture into the real world, to the viewer. The gesture of St. Sixtus and the look of St. Barbara are directed at the faithful, whom Raphael assumes are located behind the balustrade at the bottom of the picture. The papal tiara, lying on top of this balustrade, plays the role of a bridge between the real and the picturesque spaces.
Raphael. Sistine Madonna, 1513-1514
The "Sistine Madonna" was probably intended to decorate the tomb Pope Julius II. Saint Sixtus was the patron of this pope's family (della Rovere), while Saint Barbara and the two winged "geniuses" at the bottom of the picture symbolized the funeral ceremony. This canvas by Raphael was kept in the monastery of St. Sixtus in Piacenza, and then was donated by his monks to the Saxon king, Augustus III. After the surrender of Germany in World War II, the Sistine Madonna was moved to Moscow, but later returned to Dresden.
The two winged putti from Raphael's Sistine Madonna are probably the most famous pictorial angels. They are half a millennium old. Their continuous success, which has not weakened to this day, is apparently due to the fact that in these figurines Raphael combined true Christian religious feeling with pagan and secular motives, childish mischief with high art.
Angels from the "Sistine Madonna" were repeatedly reproduced in different variations on other paintings, in books, newspapers and magazines.
"Madonna and Child" (Madonna di Casa Santi) - Raphael's first appeal to the image, which will become the main thing in the artist's work. The painting dates from 1498. The artist at the time of writing the picture was only 15 years old. Now the painting is in the Raphael Museum in the Italian city of Urbino.
"Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and Francis" (Madonna col Bambino tra i santi Girolamo e Francesco), 1499-1504. The painting is now in the Berlin Art Gallery.
"Madonna Solly" (Madonna Solly) is so named because it belonged to the British collector Edward Solly. The painting dates from 1500-1504. The painting is now in the Berlin Art Gallery.
"Madonna Pasadena" (Madonna di Pasadena) is named after its current location - the city of Pasadena in the United States. The painting is dated 1503.
"Madonna and Child Enthroned and Saints" (Madonna col Bambino in trono e cinque santi) is dated 1503-1505. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ child, the young John the Baptist, as well as the Apostle Peter, the Apostle Paul, St. Catherine and St. Cecilia. The painting is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (USA).
"Madonna Diotallevi" (Madonna Diotallevi) is named after the original owner - Diotallevi di Rimini. The painting is now in the Berlin Art Gallery. The Diotallevi Madonna is dated 1504. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus in her arms, who blesses John the Baptist. John folded his arms across his chest in humility. In this picture, as in all the previous ones, the influence of Perugino, the teacher of Raphael, is felt.
"Madonna Conestabile" (Madonna Connestabile) was written in 1504 and later named after the owner of the painting, Count Conestabile. The painting was acquired by the Russian Emperor Alexander II. Now "Madonna Conestabile" is in the Hermitage (St. Petersburg). "
Madonna Conestabile" is considered the last work created by Raphael in Umbria, before moving to Florence.
"Madonna Granduca" (Madonna del Granduca) was written in 1504-1505. In this picture, the influence of Leonardo da Vinci is felt. The painting was painted by Raphael in Florence and is still in this city to this day.
"Small Madonna Cowper" (Piccola Madonna Cowper) was written in 1504-1505. The painting was named after its owner, Lord Cowper. Now the picture is in Washington (National Gallery of Art).
Madonna Terranuva" (Madonna Terranuova) was written in 1504-1505. The painting was named after one of the owners - the Italian Duke of Terranuva. Now the painting is in the Berlin Art Gallery.
"Madonna Ansidei" (Madonna Ansidei) is dated 1505-1507 and depicts the Virgin Mary with the baby Christ, the adult John the Baptist and Nicholas the Wonderworker. The painting is in the London National Gallery.
Madonna Ansiday. Detail
"Orleans Madonna" (Madonna d "Orleans) was written in 1506. The painting is called Orleans, because its owner was Philip II of Orleans. Now the painting is in the French city of Chantilly.
Raphael's painting "The Holy Family with the beardless Saint Joseph" (Sacra Famiglia con san Giuseppe imberbe) was written around 1506 and is now in the Hermitage (St. Petersburg).
Raphael's Sacra Famiglia con palma painting of the Holy Family is dated 1506. As in the previous painting, the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ and Saint Joseph are depicted here (this time with a traditional beard). The painting is in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Madonna in the Green (Madonna del Belvedere) is dated 1506. Now the picture is in Vienna (Kunsthistorisches Museum). In the painting, the Virgin Mary holds the Christ child, who grabs the cross from John the Baptist.
The Madonna with the Goldfinch (Madonna del Cardellino) is dated 1506. Now the painting is in Florence (Uffizi Gallery). The painting depicts the Virgin Mary, who is sitting on a rock, and John the Baptist (on the left in the picture) and Jesus (on the right) are playing with a goldfinch.
"Madonna with carnations" (Madonna dei Garofani) is dated 1506-1507. "Madonna with Carnations", like other paintings of the Florentine period of Raphael's work, was written under the influence of Leonardo da Vinci. Raphael's "Madonna with Carnations" is a variant of Leonardo da Vinci's "Madonna with a Flower". The painting is in the London National Gallery.
"The Beautiful Gardener" (La Belle Jardiniere) is dated 1507. The painting is in the Louvre (Paris). The Virgin Mary in the painting sits in a garden holding the Christ child. John the Baptist sat down on one knee.
Raphael's painting "Holy Family with a Lamb" (Sacra Famiglia con l "agnello) is dated 1507. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and the baby Jesus sitting astride a lamb. The painting is currently in the Prado Museum in Madrid.
The painting "The Holy Family of Canigiani" (Sacra Famiglia Canigiani) was written by Raphael in 1507 for the Florentine Domenico Canigiani. The painting depicts Saint Joseph, Saint Elizabeth with her son John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary with her son Jesus. The painting is located in Munich (Old Pinakothek).
Raphael's painting "Madonna Bridgewater" (Madonna Bridgewater) is dated 1507 and is so named because it was in the Bridgewater estate in the UK. Now the painting is located in Edinburgh (National Gallery of Scotland)
"Madonna Colonna" (Madonna Colonna) is dated 1507 and named after the owners of the Italian family Colonna. The painting is now in the Berlin Art Gallery.
