Virgin with Child

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510)

Artwork: The Virgin and Child (The Madonna of the Book)

About: between 1480/1481

Medium and Support: Tempera on panel

Dimensions: 58 cm x 39.6 cm

Current location: Museo Poldi Pezzoli , Milan, Italy

Also known as the Madonna of the book, this painting depicts the Virgin and Child reading a book that is only partially visible. The layout and decoration of the sheets made it possible to formulate the hypothesis that it is a Book of Hours, that is, one of those devotional manuals intended for the laity that had great circulation between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. Next to the open volume, on which Mary’s hand is delicately resting, there are other books and some simple objects that contribute to giving the image a familiar tone. The pyramidal composition of the two sacred figures leaves ample space, on the right side of the painting, to a window opening onto the landscape, from which a warm and crepuscular light comes. The light that pervades the Madonna and Child, however, does not seem to have a naturalistic origin: it seems rather to emanate from the figures themselves, spreading into the surrounding space and transforming the simple domestic interior into a mystical setting. appear on the left probably have a symbolic meaning: cherries allude to the blood of Christ, plums to the sweetness of the affection of the Virgin and Child, figs to the Salvation or Resurrection of Christ. The three nails of the cross in the hand of little Jesus and the crown of thorns on his arm were doubtfully considered later and not autograph additions, but in their direct allusion to a foreshadowing of the Passion of Christ they contribute in any case to make the truth more explicit. meaning of the painting. Although this work can be dated to around 1480, when the painter had already reached his full artistic maturity, it is still influenced by Filippo Lippi, Botticelli’s first master and author of refined sacred images. In any case, all the elements of Botticelli’s poetics of this particular artistic moment are present in the painting, characterized by a soft and elegant linearity, and by a calm and precious style, still far from the intense pathetism that will permeate the late artistic production of the Florentine master.

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