Raphael 1483 – 1520

Colonna Madonna

oil on panel (52 × 38 cm) — C. 1507-1508 Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen, Berlin

Raphael biography

With her right hand Mary supports her infant son. In her left hand she holds a book. It seems as if the child made her stop reading.

The book is a nifty trick by Raphael. By holding it away from the center of the image, the composition becomes more balanced.

At some moment in history the panel was in the possession of a dutchess Colonna; hence its name. In 1827 it was acquired by the Prussian state.

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