Woman in a blue-green mantle and red dress, eyes lowered, holding a child in her arms against a dark background

Madonna del Granduca

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What you see

Mary appears half-length against an almost black background, with no landscape or objects. She tilts her head and lowers her eyes as she holds the Child with both hands, seated on her arm. He, by contrast, looks straight out and rests a hand on her neckline. The figure stands out like a quiet silhouette, and the eye moves from Mary’s face to the Child’s.

There are three main colors: the blue-green mantle, the red dress and the pale tone of the skin. Light models the faces gently. Notice the halos, two very fine golden circles, the Child’s feet resting on a fold of the mantle and the sheer cloth wrapped around him.

About Raphael

Raphael Sanzio was born in Urbino and learned painting very young from his father, who was also a painter. His gentle Madonnas and harmonious compositions made him famous in Florence and Rome, where he decorated the pope’s rooms. He lived only 37 years but left an enormous body of work.

All 11 works by Raphael