The Alba Madonna (c. 1510) by Raphael (Marchigian, 1483 - 1520)

Details

• Image Size: 9 x 9 inches
• Paper Size: 14 x 11 inches
• Frame Size: No Frame
• Medium: Print on Paper
• Edition: Open Edition, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
• Provenance: Dayton, OH Auction

Comments

• After four years in Florence, Raphael moved to Rome in 1508, probably to execute more significant commissions under the papal reign of Julius II. The major work in America from Raphael's Roman period is The Alba Madonna. In this "Madonna of Humility" the Virgin is seated directly on the ground instead of on a heavenly throne or a sumptuous cushion. The artist grouped the figures in a broad low pyramid, aligning them within a circle in such a way that they not only conform to their space, but dominate it as well. The tondo, or round–format style, was popular in Florentine painting, and the influence of the Florentine masters Michelangelo and Leonardo is also apparent in the work.
• The Alba Madonna shows the Roman style Raphael adapted, in the painting’s delicacy of color and mood, with figures draped in rose pink, pale blue, and green, set in an idealized, classical landscape. The Madonna is dressed in an antique costume of turban, sandals, and flowing robes. The serene, bucolic atmosphere of Raphael's tondo belies its emotional meaning. The Christ Child's gesture of accepting the cross from the Baptist is the focus of attention of all three figures, as if they have foreknowledge of Christ's sacrifice for mankind.

Condition (Please see grading guide below)

• (I) Overall: Very Good 
• (II) Content: Very Good (Toning) 
• (III) Frame: No Frame. Print Only

Artist Bio

 

• Raffaelo di Giovanni Santi was the younger contemporary of Leonardo and Michelangelo, and with them epitomizes the High Renaissance in Italy. For most of the history of Western art, the easy grace and harmonious balance of Raphael’s style has represented an ideal of perfection. A man noted also for wit and charm, he has often been called the “prince of painters.”
• Raphael must have studied first with his father, painter at the court of Urbino, an environment rich in the arts and humanist learning. The elder Santi died when the boy was 11. Whether Raphael entered the workshop of Perugino at that time or, as seems more likely, many years later when he was already an acknowledged artist, he quickly mastered Perugino’s delicate, ornamental style, with its open landscapes and gentle figures. It was said that contemporaries had trouble distinguishing Perugino’s work from Raphael’s, but Raphael’s compositions were more sophisticated even when he was a young artist.
• Late in 1504, Raphael moved to Florence, drawn there by accounts of Leonardo’s work there. Leonardo’s softly shadowed forms, natural figure groupings, and simplified settings were all stunningly new—and Raphael responded quickly to them. In 1508 the pope called Raphael to Rome. Influenced by the idealized, classical art of the city's ancient past, Raphael’s work took on a new grandeur. He also responded to the more the energetic and physical style of Michelangelo, whose works he had already begun to study in Florence.
• Raphael remained in Rome for the last 12 years of his life. In those years he was extremely active, preparing monumental frescoes for the papal chambers, designing tapestries for the Sistine Chapel, and painting scenes that captured mythological stories with delight and exuberance. His work became widely influential through the dissemination of prints. Raphael was also the city’s leading portraitist, creating penetrating psychological images that engaged viewer and sitter with a new intensity. When he died at age 37, the pope ordered that Raphael, who had been keeper of antiquities, be buried in the Pantheon.

 

References

The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Grading Guide

Notes:

• The condition grade is a subjective rating based on the observed objective physical features of the item to the naked eye
• The condition grade does not factor in the perceived beauty or aesthetic impact of the content itself
• Please view all of the item pictures and video to make your own informed condition decision before purchasing

 

Scale:

 

• Excellent: No damage or issues barely perceptible from close viewing distance and bright lighting conditions
• Very Good: Issues visible from close viewing distance and normal lighting conditions
• Good: Issues visible from normal viewing distance and lighting conditions but do NOT significantly detract from the overall look of the work
• Fair: Issues that are immediately apparent from normal viewing distance and lighting conditions AND significantly detract from the overall look of the work
• Poor: Severe condition issues that require repair and some may be beyond repair

 

Buyer Notes

 

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