Medici Madonna
Medici Madonna | |
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San Lorenzo, Florence |
The Medici Madonna is a marble sculpture carved by the
The work, according to Michelangelo's letters and other documents, was one of the first works begun for the decoration of the Sagrestia Vecchia (Old Sacristy), as early as 1521. In 1526 it was still incomplete and in 1534, when Michelangelo moved to Rome, it was left in its current unfinished state and moved to the current location by Niccolò Tribolo.
The Medici Madonna shows the Christ Child sitting in the lap of the
Several preparatory drawings (at the British Museum and the Albertina) show a less compact composition, in which the Madonna's legs were parallel to each other. The composition is somewhat similar to Michelangelo's Madonna of the Stairs, with the Virgin sitting on nearly cubic block and breastfeeding the Child. The latter is turning his body towards his mother, hiding the face from the viewer.
Through Michelangelo's personal writings, letters, and poetry that include recollections of his wet nurse, it is known that Michelangelo was very emotionally engaged with the motherhood of Mary, relating the Virgin Mother to his own wet nurse. It is believed that although the work was commissioned, the Medici Madonna is largely tied to his own deep-rooted personal issues.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Goffen 1999, p. 59
- ^ Steinberg 1971, p. 145
- ^ Goffen 1999, p. 62
Bibliography
- Goffen, Rona (1999). "Mary's Motherhood According to Leonardo and Michelangelo". JSTOR 1483664.
- Steinberg, Leo (March 1971). "Michelangelo's Madonna Medici and Related Works". The Burlington Magazine. 113 (816): 144–9.
- Baldini, Umberto (1973). Michelangelo scultore. Milan: Rizzoli.
External links
- Media related to Medici Madonna at Wikimedia Commons