Mary on a tall throne reads a book with the Child on her lap, between a man in a red cloak and a bishop

The Ansidei Madonna

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What you see

The composition is symmetrical. At the center, Mary, seated on a tall wooden throne, reads a book with the Child on her lap. On the left, a barefoot man in a red cloak, holding a slender cross, looks upward; on the right, a bishop with miter and crozier reads another book. Behind them, arches open onto a blue sky and a distant landscape.

Reds, blues and dark greens are balanced among the three figures, and the steps of the throne lead the eye upward. Seek out the inscription “SALVE MATER CHRISTI” at the top of the throne, the strings of red beads hanging from the canopy, the bishop’s golden crozier and the three golden balls at his feet.

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