| Madonna of the Rose Garden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Sandro Botticelli |
| Year | 1469–1470 |
| Medium | tempera on panel |
| Dimensions | 124 cm × 64 cm (49 in × 25 in) |
| Location | Uffizi Gallery,Florence |
TheMadonna of the Rose Garden is atempera painting on panel by theItalian Renaissance painter from Florence,Sandro Botticelli between 1469 and 1470. It is one of his earliest paintings and is now in theUffizi Gallery inFlorence, Italy.
The work was in the Chamber of Commerce ofFlorence which leads to the hypothesis that like Botticelli's earlier painting, theMadonna della loggia, it had been commissioned either by theWool Guild or theTribunale della Mercanzia.
Wilhelm von Bode was the first to date the work to the artist's juvenile phase, in particular to the period ofVerrocchio, 1469–1470, which has since been confirmed by other scholars.
The painting measures 124 cm × 64 cm (49 in × 25 in). It depicts theVirgin Mary, with a pensive attitude, holding theChrist Child on her knees beneath aloggia with columns supporting a semicircular arch with acoffered ceiling, framing the head of the Virgin and following the curved profile of the board. Behind Mary extends a garden with its pink roses dominating the foreground. Below her is a floor with framed marble tiles which demonstrates the painter's mastery ofperspective technique.
The roses symbolize one of thetitles of Mary, "Mystical Rose". Thepomegranate, which Mary holds in her hand and which the Child is tasting, symbolizes fertility, royalty, and with its red color, the blood of thePassion of Jesus.
The work shows incisive use ofchiaroscuro reminiscent of Verrocchio, in whose workshop Botticelli may have trained. The same type of child, with a large oval head and joyful lively expression, can be seen in Verrocchio's sculpturePutto con delfino from the same period. The figure of Mary is elongated and loosely posed, much more so than in the works ofFilippo Lippi, another of the young Botticelli's models.
There are some uncertainties in space such as the disproportion of the architectural background which is too small compared to the figure of Mary and also compared to the flowers in the garden behind her.
