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| Madonna in Glory with Seraphim | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Sandro Botticelli |
| Year | 1469–1470 |
| Medium | Tempera on panel |
| Dimensions | 120 cm × 65 cm (47 in × 26 in) |
| Location | Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence |
Madonna in Glory with Seraphim is a tempera painting on panel by theItalian Renaissance painterSandro Botticelli, executedc. 1469–1470. It is housed inGalleria degli Uffizi.
The original location of the painting is not known, but it was registered in the Uffizi inventories of 1784 and 1825 as an anonymous artwork.
The art historianWilhelm von Bode first attributed it to Botticelli and dated it to theVerrocchio phase of his early career,c. 1469–1470 and just before hisFortitude. Later studies confirmed von Bode's hypothesis, with the exception ofAdolfo Venturi who believed it to come from the school ofFilippo Lippi.
TheVirgin Mary holds the babyJesus on her knees. She is enthroned on clouds and surrounded byseraphim and rays of light. TheChrist Child, with thecruciform nimbus, is looking towards the observer and raising his hand in blessing. Botticelli has succeeded in expressing the tensions in this theme with sensitivity: the mother, who is fully aware of thePassion her son will suffer, is holding him protectively in her arms.[citation needed][1]
The painting displays an incisive, graphicchiaroscuro that reflects the influence of Verrocchio on Botticelli, who helped in Verrocchio's workshop as a young artist. The depiction of Christ, however, is more plainly Botticelli's own style—he is depicted with rounded shapes and the melancholic air that often appears in Botticelli's work. The figure of Mary is elongated and loose, similar to the works ofFilippo Lippi, another influence of Botticelli's. Similarly, Marie's delicately rounded face depicted with contour lines also recalls Lippi's work.
Similar panel paintings of theMadonna by Botticelli remain from around 1470. Two full figure pictures of the Madonna —theMadonna in Glory and theMadonna of the Rose Garden—are in the Uffizi. LikeMadonna in Glory with Seraphim, they represent monumental seated figures that fill the entire picture.
