Raphael Sanzio, Madonna of the Goldfinch (fresco, opt. 1)

Description

Immersed in a wide river landscape with a horizon surrounded by trees and from a bridge to the left, there is the Madonna seated on a rock, holding the Child Jesus between his legs, while St. John, embraced by the Virgin, he is on the left. The two children play with a goldfinch symbolizing the Passion of Christ. The Virgin holds in a detail that alludes to his awareness of the future of the child; awareness that does not disturb the moment and the scene in which there seems to be no place for sadness and fear. The young woman mother takes care of the two children with great serenity, accepting the destiny of both. The Madonna of the Goldfinch wears a red robe and a blue cloak, common colors  in the iconography of the character; if red alludes to the blood and Passion of Christ, blue to the mantle of the sky and the relationship between earthly and afterlife symbolized by the Virgin.  The work is executed through the technique of Pictography, according to the ancient methods and natural materials; is handmade entirely in Umbria.