Madonna with the Goldfinch

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Madonna with the Goldfinch (Raffael Santi)
Madonna with the Goldfinch
Raffael Santi , 1506-1507
oil on wood
107 x 77.2 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi , Florence

The Madonna with the Goldfinch (Madonna del Cardellino) is a portrait of the Virgin Mary by Raphael from the 16th century . It is located in the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence . It was created between 1506 and 1507. The painting has the dimensions and is 107 × 77 cm painted in oil on wood. Raffael painted two other paintings with a similar motif: The Madonna in the Green (1505–1506, exhibited in Vienna ) and The Beautiful Gardener (1507–1508, exhibited in the Louvre ).

The work

The painting has a uniformly geometric structure in the form of a triangular composition , consisting of Mary on the central axis and the two children Jesus and John to the right and left of this. The person triangle is backed up by a landscape flooded with light, which is typical for Raffael at this time. You can see flowers, grass, rocks, bushes, trees, a river with a bridge and a city with a wall and towers. A mountain range is shown in the background. To the left and right of the upper, lateral edge of the picture, clouds can be seen that open towards the center of the picture and reveal the blue of the sky. In terms of color, the fantasy landscape changes from brown-olive in the lower part to blue-green in the middle to pale blue in the area of ​​the horizon. The sky in the upper middle part of the picture is blue. Although two trees are shown in the middle of the picture on the right and only one tree on the left on the corresponding side, the balance of the composition is created by rocks, river and bridge on the left. "In the landscape, the mastery of the tone scale of the aerial perspective seems to be perfect, according to which the most distant objects are brightened by the effect of natural haze." Thus she is clearly influenced by Leonardo da Vinci's Sfumato. This sfumato was discovered by Leonardo da Vinci and was often depicted in paintings during the Renaissance .

Taddei Tondo

The Madonna sits elevated on a rock and is dressed in a tight-fitting red dress and a blue cloak that rests on her left shoulder. The cloak leaves her right and left hand free in the area of ​​the wrist, and allows a view of the red sleeves of the dress. Raphael used the colors red and blue in a slightly contrasting manner, so to speak, in order to create harmony and balance in this area as well. The cloak wraps around Mary's knees and forms folds on the earthy surface. Her feet are bare and are released from the cloak. She has an open book in her left hand. Her right hand rests tenderly on John's back. As is customary with most Florentine depictions of the Madonna by Raphael, Maria has blond partially braided hair, downcast eyes and her head is tilted slightly down to the left. Your gaze rests on Johannes. Overall, Maria sits calmly, almost thoughtfully, without appearing static. Here, the paintings of Raphael differ significantly from the themed works of Leonardo da Vinci ( Anna selbdritt ) or Michelangelo (Taddei Tondo).

Anna Selbdritt

Both children stand leaning against Mary's knees. Johannes can be recognized by his fur dress and the nut half that hangs on the leather belt. He holds a goldfinch in his hand and hands it to Jesus "... just like the Italian youth, who find cruelty to animals harmless ...". Jesus grasps the bird with his right arm raised, in an elegantly twisted position, while putting his foot on Mary's. His gaze is not on the goldfinch, but on Johannes, as if he did not want to see the bird.

At first glance, the picture is reminiscent of a mother with two toddlers playing, who briefly looked up from her book to enjoy harmony and motherly happiness for a moment . The extremely harmonious landscape behind Maria reinforces this impression. "The whole space of this" vision "of human love relationship fills a feeling of infinity".

In addition, the image has a large number of iconographic references that place it in a religious context. The red dress of Mary is reminiscent of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the nut half as a reference to the baptismal bowl , the meadow of flowers refers to emerging life. The book in which Mary reads a naturally religious text is to be interpreted as a sign of her faith.

Sistine Madonna

A connection that is particularly worth mentioning arises from the goldfinch. Its red spot on its head symbolizes the suffering of Jesus in the Passion.

The more playful handing over of this bird "to the great pleasure and delight of both" people depicted as small children distracts from the brutal suffering of the passion. Even Mary's gaze is caring and not, as with the Sistine Madonna, filled with premonition of the Passion. In connection with the possible occasion of the picture (marriage) it is on the one hand intended for a private devotion on the other hand it also refers to the special beauty and elegance of Mary, to her motherliness and care and is therefore a painting with which Raphael was great at that time Attracted attention.

Provenance

According to Georgio Vasari, the painting was commissioned by Matteo Canigiani for the wedding of Lorenzo Nasi with Sandra.

This was celebrated on February 23, 1506. On August 9, 1548, it was severely damaged in a landslide and divided into 17 fragments. It was then probably entrusted to Michele di Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio for restoration.

Battista Nasi is also mentioned as a restorer .

Its later history is unknown until its entry in the collection of Cardinal Giovan Carlo de 'Medici in the years 1646–47.

From 1666 the painting was entered in the Uffizi catalog.

Further restorations were completed in 2008.

Selection of further depictions of the Madonna by Raphael

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Venetian Renaissance in the 16th Century. In: HiSoUR art culture exhibition. June 14, 2018, accessed February 16, 2020 .
  2. ^ Anton Springer: Raffael and Michelangelo . In: Robert Dohme (Ed.): Art and Artists of Italy . tape 2 . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1878, p. 76 .
  3. ↑ a b Mario Dal Bello: Raffael Madonna Pictures . Regensburg 2012, p. 45 ff .
  4. ↑ a b c d Madonna col Bambino e San Giovannino detta “Madonna del Cardellino” - Opere. Le Gallerie degli Uffizi, accessed on February 12, 2020 (Italian).
  5. ^ Giorgio Vasari: Life descriptions of the excellent painters, sculptors and architects of the Renaissance . Ed .: Ernst Jaffé. Berlin 1910, p. 288 .
  6. ^ Giorgio Vasari: Life descriptions of the excellent painters, sculptors and architects of the Renaissance . Ed .: Ernst Jaffé. Julius Bard, Berlin 1910, p. 287 .
  7. ↑ a b Paul Badde: Resurrection after 400 years . In: The world . December 23, 2008 ( welt.de [accessed February 11, 2020]).
  8. ^ Ricerca - Schede di catalogo. Retrieved February 11, 2020 .