The early work of Raphael . raising his hand in blessing,looks down at the open book on his mothers knee, and has giventhe Virgins countenance a youthful beauty and simplicity akin to hisFlorentine Madonnas. If St. John the Baptist, who stands on the left ofthe throne, holding a crystal crozier in his hand, and wearing a crimsonmantle edged with gold over his camels-hair garb, recalls Peruginossaints, the venerable figure of St. Nicholas of Bari, in his jewelledcope and mitre, is modelled with all the truth and freedom of Raphaelslater style. The date inscribed on the hem of the Virgins mantle
The early work of Raphael . raising his hand in blessing,looks down at the open book on his mothers knee, and has giventhe Virgins countenance a youthful beauty and simplicity akin to hisFlorentine Madonnas. If St. John the Baptist, who stands on the left ofthe throne, holding a crystal crozier in his hand, and wearing a crimsonmantle edged with gold over his camels-hair garb, recalls Peruginossaints, the venerable figure of St. Nicholas of Bari, in his jewelledcope and mitre, is modelled with all the truth and freedom of Raphaelslater style. The date inscribed on the hem of the Virgins mantle hasbeen difFerently read by almost every writer. Passavant and Kugler, SirCharles Eastlake and Sir Henry Layard, give it as 1505 ; Crowe andCavalcaselle, as 1506 ; Minghetti, as 1507. There can however be littledoubt that the picture was chiefly painted during Raphaels visit to Perugiain 1505-6, but not finally completed until a later period. The AnsideiMadonna is in a far better state of preservation than most of Raphaels. The Ansidei Madonna. By Raphael. From the Picture in the National. Gallery. 56 THE EARLY WORK OF RAPHAEL works, and bears few traces of inferior workmanship. This is more thancan be said for the Madonna di Sanf Antonio. A split in the panel twocenturies ago caused part of the surface to scale off, and the picture hassuffered severely from injudicious cleaning and re-painting, while thehand of assistants is clearly visible in the lunette of God the Father, aswell as in some parts of the draperies. But we recognise Raphaelsart in the central group, alike in the little St. John pressing forwardto adore the Child, and in the gentle Virgin bending down to layher hand upon his shoulder. Both children are clothed, the Christ in awhite tunic and blue mantle, the little Baptist in camel-hair shirt andgreen and purple robes, because, in Vasaris words, those simple andpious women, the nuns, willed it so. The Virgin-saints Catherine andCecilia, who stand on either side
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Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookde, booksubjectraphael14831520, bookyear1895
