Madonna and Child with Angels

Discussion

FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG

The Virgin Mary sits in humility with the Christ Child in her lap and her hands folded in prayer. Two angels in green part red-and-gold curtains to reveal the sacred scene; two in blue prepare to crown Mary as Queen of Heaven. The white dove at top represents the action of the Holy Spirit in effecting Christ's birth to Mary. The artist, Benozzo Gozzoli, was a student of Fra Angelico who was best known for painting mural cycles—most notably in the palazzo of the powerful Medici family, in Florence. This Madonna and Child , however, would have stimulated private devotion. The inscription in Mary's halo is the last line of the Ave Maria ("Hail, Mary") prayer.

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