Madonna di Foligno Raphael Automatic translate

This work of the urban master precedes such a masterpiece of all times and peoples as the Sistine Madonna in the Dresden gallery of old masters, and in many respects predetermines its composition. The painting was commissioned by the papal historian and secretary Sigismondo dei Conti for the Roman church of Santa Maria Aracheli in 1511 in honor of the deliverance from death when a meteorite fell in his house in Foligno. There is no documentary evidence of a meteorite falling into Sigismondo’s house, but there are versions of lightning that struck him and the shell hit during the siege of Foligno. Until 1565, the painting was on the altar of the Church of St. Mary in Rome, where the customer was buried, and then transferred to the church of St. Anne Monastery in Foligno. In 1797, the Madonna di Foligno was taken to Paris by the Napoleonic army, where she was kept for some time. After the fall of Napoleon, she was returned to Rome, where in 1958 a restoration was made.

Rafael - Madonna di Foligno, see a larger image

On the left side of the picture is depicted St. John the Baptist and Francis of Assisi. In the right is St. Jerome with the kneeling Sigismondo, looking fixedly grateful at the Madonna and Child. Mary and the baby Christ soars in the clouds against the background of a golden disk, personifying Her heavenly glory (another name for the picture of the Madonna in Glory), surrounded by cherubs. Between these groups, in the center, is an unusually beautiful angel with an unexploited commemorative inscription on the tablet, reminding the audience that he will always be with us. Against the background of all this, an angel spreads a landscape with the city of Foligno, work on which is attributed to the Ferrara master Giovanni di Lutheri, nicknamed Dosso Dossi (c. 1486 Mantova - 1542 Ferrara). In some places, art historians saw the work of Raphael’s assistants in the workshop.

The masterful composition, delicate drawing, skillful and moderate use of color, and most importantly the exalted spirit of Madonna di Foligno gained immense popularity in the art world, and today this altar painting is on a par with the best masterpieces of the Renaissance.

The painting was painted in oil on a tree in 1511-12, in 1802 it was transferred to canvas and has dimensions 320x193 cm.

Koschey