Madonna by Sandro Botticelli

Fully in line with the sacred aesthetics of the late Quattrocento, this graceful maternal image, temporarily named “Madonna”, is painted by the brilliant Botticelli Sandro. This work of domestic devotion reflects the refinement and elegance of Tuscan religious painting. The painting captures the sacred intimacy uniting the Virgin with her child under the benevolent gaze of a divine messenger, an artistic formula highly appreciated by patrons of the period.

The Virgin Mary is depicted in a bust view, tilting her gentle pensive face with closed eyelids toward the infant Jesus whom she gently supports. Wearing a pleated translucent white veil, she wears a very dark blue mantle over a bright red dress fitted under the chest with a golden ribbon. Before her, a young angel with blonde curls supports the chubby body of the divine child, while turning an expressive and devoted look toward the viewer. The infant Jesus, half-wrapped in a beige linen cloth, raises his hands toward his mother’s collar in a burst of childlike tenderness. A stone arched opening reveals an azure sky in the distance, while a richly decorated cushion rests in the foreground. The light gently caresses the clear skin tones of the figures.

The artist demonstrates admirable skill in the treatment of translucent veils and the delicacy of oval faces with impeccable lines. His absolute mastery of tempera translates into a superb chromatic harmony and a highly sensitive rendering of textures.