Alba Madonna

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Alba Madonna
ArtistRaphael
Yearc. 1511
TypeOil transferred from wood to canvas
Dimensions94.5 cm diameter (37+1⁄4 in)
LocationNational Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

The Alba Madonna is a

Mary, Jesus, and John the Baptist[1] in a typical Italian countryside.[2]

After a century and a half in Italy, it was in the collection of the

Andrew W. Mellon by the government of the Soviet Union in 1931, it has been held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
, since 1937.

Description

John the Baptist is holding up a cross to Jesus, which the baby Jesus is grasping. All three figures are contemplating the cross, which is being accepted by Jesus as a token of

dandelions and red-centred anemones for the Passion
of Jesus.

The tondo painting, on a round wood panel with diameter 94.5 cm (37.2 in), was commissioned by Paolo Giovio, after Raphael had left Florence in 1508 to live in Rome. The painting show development from his earlier work, perhaps inspired by the Sistine Chapel ceiling then being painted by Michelangelo.

Art historian

Madonna della Misericordia – images of the Virgin as Queen of Heaven and protectress of all humanity."[4]

Provenance

Giovio became

Gaspar Méndez de Haro, 7th Marquis of Carpio, who took the painting to Spain. On his death the following year, it was inherited by his daughter; she married Francisco Álvarez de Toledo y Silva [es], who became the 10th Duke of Alba in 1711, and during the 18th century the painting belonged to the Spanish House of Alba
, whose name it bears.

It was sold by the heirs of

Andrew W. Mellon, for 2.5 million rubles (about US$1.1 million). Mellon donated his collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on its foundation in 1937, after a long squabble with the Roosevelt
administration over his tax liabilities for the purchase.

During its time in the Hermitage, the painting would be transferred from a circular panel to a square canvas during the early nineteenth century. Through analysis of the painting, it was determined that the original panel was severely splitting down the center and on the right side. The canvas pattern is visible in the painting and the landscape on the far right was damaged in the transfer process.[5]

Raphael's study for what became the Alba Madonna, with other sketches, Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille

During World War II the Alba Madonna was part of a group of over 100 pieces of art belonging to the National Gallery of Art that were transported by train to

Biltmore House
. Done with the utmost secrecy, heavy steel doors were installed and bars were put in the windows of the barren music room. In 1944 after it became clear that the war would soon be over the paintings were moved back to the National Gallery of Art.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Raphael: The Alba Madonna". National Gallery of Art.
  2. ^ The Book of Knowledge: The Children's Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. Grolier Society. 1957. p. 959.
  3. ISBN 9783825807085
    .
  4. ^ Graham-Dixon, Andrew (19 December 2004). "ITP 242: The Alba Madonna, by Raphael". The Sunday Telegraph.
  5. ^ Christensen, Carol. "Examination and Treatment of Paintings by Raphael at the National Gallery of Art." Studies in the History of Art 17 (1986): 47–54.

External links

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