Madonna della Loggia (Botticelli)

Last updated
Madonna della Loggia
MadonnaLoggiaBotticelli.jpg
Artist Sandro Botticelli
Year1467
MediumTempera on panel
Dimensions72 cm× 50 cm(28 in× 20 in)
LocationUffizi, Florence

The Madonna della Loggia is a painting attributed to the Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli, dating to c. 1467. A tempera on panel work, it is located in the loggia of Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Contents

This is one of the earliest works of Botticelli where he painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary with Jesus Christ as a child, sitting in a loggia. Madonna is wearing dark blue cloak with bright red dress underneath it. Blue in Madonna's clothes represents her purity and her red dress is a symbol of love. [1] She has a head covering and a slightly visible, translucent halo. Baby Jesus is painted in a light pink robe, also with a big bright halo above his head. The loggia where Madonna and a Child are seated is depicted in brown and cream colors. On the background there is a green landscape with a road supposedly leading to the town.

This is an oil painting, 70 x 147 cm in size. Currently, Madonna della Loggia is kept in Uffizi in Florence where she arrived in 1784, given to gallery by Chamber of Commerce and Arts. [2]

History of the Madonna

The Madonna della Loggia is one of the earliest works of Botticelli. This artwork's style was influenced by Sandro's master, Filippo Lippi, one of the greatest Renaissance artists. [3] Shortly after Botticelli left his master's studio, he moved to work under Andrea Verrocchio in the late 1460s, [4] when he completed painting of Madonna della Loggia. There is an opinion that this artwork was inspired by Lippi's Madonna with Child, which was created around 1460 in Florence for Palazzo Medici Riccardi. [2] However, Madonna della Loggia can also be viewed as a typical artwork influenced by a religious theme, depicting Virgin Mary holding Jesus in her hands. During the Renaissance, artists often dedicated their paintings and sculptures to Christianity, mainly the image of Jesus Christ. [5] Italian artists used one of the most popular iconographic representation of the Virgin and the Christ, Glykophilousa, translated as "Sweet Kissing." It is the pose in which Mary appears to be "kissing" Jesus, accepting affection form her son.[ citation needed ]Madonna della Loggia is one of the examples of using Glykophilousa in the Renaissance art: there are plenty of paintings that have this pose of Mother and Jesus.

Madonna and Child, Botticelli (1470) Sandro Botticelli - Madonna and Child, c. 1470.jpg
Madonna and Child, Botticelli (1470)

Botticelli and Madonnas

Beginning from the mid 1460s, Botticelli worked on several paintings that have the same context as the Madonna della Loggia. He painted four works of Virgin Mary with a child and he continued to paint Madonnas in a similar manner throughout next decade. What is common for almost all his paintings is depiction of Madonna in a loggia , a so-called European porch, an outdoor area that was a part of the building. [6] One of the most famous paintings that is known everywhere is Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa that was originally painted sitting in a loggia before parts of the paintings were cut off. However, it is still visible on the left bottom part of the painting. [7] In Botticelli's artwork loggia is distinct and stands out on the background of the painting. It is noticeable that Botticelli paints different styles of loggias in his paintings. Madonna and Child of 1470 has closely the same loggia as Madonna della Loggia, and it does not only have a similar loggia, but the image of Mother and the Christ. [8]

Tabernacle frame Tabernacle frame MET SF-1975-1-2092.jpg
Tabernacle frame

Restoration of the painting

The Madonna della Loggia was not preserved in its best condition. Even the authenticity of Botticelli's works was doubted due to the poor conservation of the painting. His signature was found after the artwork was restored in 2004, which has revealed other details of the painting that were missing. [2] Apparently, the artwork might have been set in a tabernacle frame, usually religious devoted massive frames, that emerged in Italy in 15th century. [9] The Madonna della Loggia was supposedly made for "private religious devotion," so-called "colmi da camera." [2]

Madonna in Russia

The Madonna della Loggia arrived to Vladivostok, Russia for the V Eastern Economic Forum in September, 2019 and was placed for public observation in the University of Vladivostok. [10] Later, the artwork travelled to the Primorye State Art Gallery and then, in November, migrated to St. Petersburg for the VIII International Forum of Culture in St. Petersburg, to Hermitage as a part of “Masterpieces of the World Museums at the Hermitage” series. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uffizi</span> Art museum in Florence, Italy

The Uffizi Gallery is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence in the region of Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of the largest and best known in the world and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandro Botticelli</span> Italian Renaissance painter (1445–1510)

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli or simply Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered by the Pre-Raphaelites who stimulated a reappraisal of his work. Since then, his paintings have been seen to represent the linear grace of late Italian Gothic and some Early Renaissance painting, even though they date from the latter half of the Italian Renaissance period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filippino Lippi</span> Italian painter (1457–1504)

Filippino Lippi was an Italian painter working in Florence, Italy during the later years of the Early Renaissance and first few years of the High Renaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filippo Lippi</span> Italian Renaissance painter (c. 1406–1469)

Filippo Lippi, also known as Lippo Lippi, was an Italian painter of the Quattrocento and a Carmelite priest. He was an early Renaissance master of a painting workshop, who taught many painters. Sandro Botticelli and Francesco di Pesello were among his most distinguished pupils. His son, Filippino Lippi, also studied under him and assisted in some late works.

<i>Madonna of the Pomegranate</i> Painting by Sandro Botticelli

The Madonna of the Pomegranate was painted in circa 1487 with tempera on a wood panel by Sandro Botticelli. It is now in the Uffizi in Florence. Sandro Botticelli was a leading Italian Renaissance artist from Florence, Italy. The Madonna (art) uses the circular format, better known as a tondo, which focuses the attention on the main characters, the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, who are surrounded symmetrically by angels on each side. Botticelli's use of tempera grassa give the characters a real look, better known as a "naturalistic" style, which is common during the Renaissance. The Virgin Mary is holding baby Jesus gently in her arms while holding a pomegranate in her left hand.

<i>Madonna of the Book</i> Painting by Sandro Botticelli

The Madonna of the Book, or the Madonna del Libro, is a small painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli, and is preserved in the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan. The painting is executed in tempera on panel. It dates from between 1480 and 1481.

<i>The Baptism of Christ</i> (Verrocchio and Leonardo) Painting by Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci

The Baptism of Christ is an oil-on-panel painting finished around 1475 in the studio of the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea del Verrocchio and generally ascribed to him and his pupil Leonardo da Vinci. Some art historians discern the hands of other members of Verrocchio's workshop in the painting as well.

A tondo is a Renaissance term for a circular work of art, either a painting or a sculpture. The word derives from the Italian rotondo, "round." The term is usually not used in English for small round paintings, but only those over about 60 cm in diameter, thus excluding many round portrait miniatures – for sculpture the threshold is rather lower.

<i>Madonna in Glory with Seraphim</i> (Botticelli) Painting by Sandro Botticelli

Madonna in Glory with Seraphim is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, executed c. 1469–1470. It is housed in Galleria degli Uffizi.

<i>Virgin and Child with Two Angels</i> (Botticelli, Naples) Painting by Sandro Botticelli

The Virgin and Child with Two Angels is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli, dating to c. 1468–1469. It is in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, in Naples.

The decade of the 1480s in art involved some significant events.

The decade of the 1460s in art involved some significant events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Themes in Italian Renaissance painting</span>

This article about the development of themes in Italian Renaissance painting is an extension to the article Italian Renaissance painting, for which it provides additional pictures with commentary. The works encompassed are from Giotto in the early 14th century to Michelangelo's Last Judgement of the 1530s.

<i>Madonna of the Magnificat</i> Painting by Sandro Botticelli

The Madonna of the Magnificat, is a painting of circular or tondo form by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. It is also referred to as the Virgin and Child with Five Angels. In the tondo, we see the Virgin Mary writing the Magnificat with her right hand, with a pomegranate in her left, as two angels crown her with the Christ child on her lap. It is now in the galleries of the Uffizi, in Florence.

<i>Adoration of the Magi</i> (Botticelli, 1475) Painting by Sandro Botticelli

The Adoration of the Magi is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli. Botticelli painted this piece for the altar in Gaspare di Zanobi del Lama's chapel in Santa Maria Novella around 1475. This painting depicts the Biblical story of the Three Magi following a star to find the newborn Jesus. The image of the altarpiece centers on the Virgin Mary and the newborn Jesus, with Saint Joseph behind them. Before them are the three kings who are described in the New Testament story of the Adoration of the Magi. The three kings worship the Christ Child and present him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In addition, the Holy Family is surrounded by a group of people who came to see the child who was said to be the son of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacopo da Sellaio</span> Italian painter

Jacopo del Sellaio (1441/42–1493), was an Italian painter of the early Renaissance, active in his native Florence. His real name was Jacopo di Arcangelo. He worked in an eclectic style based on those of Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, and Domenico Ghirlandaio. The nickname Sellaio derives from the profession of his father, a saddle maker.

<i>Virgin and Child with an Angel</i> (Botticelli, Florence) Painting by Sandro Botticelli

The Madonna and Child with an Angel is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, c. 1465–1467. It is housed in Spedale degli Innocenti of Florence.

<i>Virgin and Child with Two Angels</i> (Verrocchio)

The Virgin and Child with Two Angels is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Andrea del Verrocchio, dating from circa 1467–1469. It is in the National Gallery, London, United Kingdom.

<i>Madonna and Child</i> (Lippi) Painting by Filippo Lippi

Madonna with Child is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Filippo Lippi. The date in which it was executed is unknown, but most art historians agree that it was painted during the last part of Lippi's career, between 1450 and 1465. It is one of the few works by Lippi which was not executed with the help of his workshop and was an influential model for later depictions of the Madonna and Child, including those by Sandro Botticelli. The painting is housed in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy, and is therefore commonly called “The Uffizi Madonna” among art historians.

<i>Madonna of the Rose Garden</i> (Botticelli) Painting by Sandro Botticelli

The Madonna of the Rose Garden is a tempera on panel painting made by Sandro Botticelli, whose date of between 1469 and 1470 makes it one of his earliest paintings. It is now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

References

  1. ↑ "Mary and the Colors of Motherhood | Broad Strokes Blog". NMWA. 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The "Madonna della Loggia" by Botticelli | Artworks | Uffizi Galleries". www.uffizi.it. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  3. ↑ "Sandro Botticelli | Biography, Paintings, Birth of Venus, Primavera, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  4. ↑ "Andrea del Verrocchio (about 1435 - 1488) | National Gallery, London". www.nationalgallery.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  5. ↑ "Painting the Life of Christ in Medieval and Renaissance Italy". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  6. ↑ "What Is a Loggia?". The Spruce. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  7. ↑ "The Importance of the Columns and their Shadows". The Mona Lisa Foundation. 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  8. ↑ "Madonna and Child". www.nga.gov. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  9. ↑ "The Tradition of Tabernacle Frames". Caversham Picture Framer. 2020-12-21. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  10. ↑ IMAGO, stock images, editorial and creative photos | picture agency (2019-08-31). "VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA AUGUST 31, 2019 Madonna della Loggia painting by the Italian Renaissance artist S". www.imago-images.com. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  11. ↑ "A masterpiece by Sandro Botticelli at EEF 2019. The Renaissance genius' Madonna della Loggia is coming to Primorye for the first time". Roscongress Building Trust. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.