Madonna of the Goldfinch
by Raphael, 1506
Details
- Year
- 1506
- Medium
- Oil on panel
- Size
- 107 cm × 77 cm (42.1 × 30.3 in)
Raphael painted the Madonna of the Goldfinch in 1506 as a wedding gift for his friend Lorenzo Nasi. The Virgin Mary watches as the infant John the Baptist offers a goldfinch to the Christ child. The bird symbolizes Christ's future Passion, as legend held that goldfinches got their red markings from pulling thorns from Christ's crown.
A 1547 earthquake destroyed the Nasi house, shattering this panel into 17 pieces. It was painstakingly reassembled, though the damage remained visible for centuries. Recent restoration has recovered much of Raphael's original luminous color and soft modeling.
The pyramidal composition shows Raphael's study of Leonardo, while the Tuscan landscape behind the figures recalls his Umbrian training. The Uffizi displays this as one of Raphael's finest Florentine Madonnas.
