Sandro Botticelli
(Florence 1445-1510)
Madonna of the Book
1482-1483
Tempera on panel
58×39,6 cm
Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan
ARTWORK
Also known as Madonna of the Book, this painting depicts the Virgin and Child with an open book. Based on the book’s layout and page decoration, it is thought to be a book of hours, a prayer book used by the laity and widely popular between the 13th and 16th centuries. Next to the book, on which Mary’s hand rests, are various objects that help give the painting its domestic feel.
The open window in the background lets in a warm, golden light that seems to emanate from the figures themselves, transforming the simple interior into a mystical environment. The various fruits in the beautiful majolica bowl have symbolic meanings: the plums represent the sweetness of the mother-and-son bond, the cherries the blood of Christ, and the figs his Resurrection. The three nails in Jesus’ hand and the crown of thorns on his arm point to his future Passion.
Dating from around 1482-1483, the work was probably painted for the private devotion of a highly prestigious client, as evidenced by the extremely high quality of the painting, but also by the use of very expensive materials such as the gold in the halos and other details, and the blue of Mary’s mantle, which was made from ground lapis lazuli. During these same years, Botticelli painted masterpieces such as The Birth of Venus and La Primavera.
BIOGRAPHY
Sandro Botticelli was born in Florence 1445. His name was actually Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, but like his brothers he was nicknamed Botticelli. He was a pupil of the painter Filippo Lippi. By 1470 he already had his own workshop and was working for the Medici and Florence’s most important families. In 1481, his fame was such that he was called to Rome to paint in the Sistine Chapel (two scenes from the Story of Moses and the Temptations of Christ). This was his only time away from Florence.
Between his return in 1482 and 1490, he painted his most famous works, such as the Birth of Venus and La Primavera (both at the Uffizi).
With the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent (1492), the artist’s patron and lord of Florence, and the rise to power of Fra Girolamo Savonarola who preached the renewal of the Church, Botticelli’s fortunes changed. His style then came to reflect both the atmosphere of deep political uncertainty and his own discouragement at the ever-decreasing demand for his work. According to Vasari, despite his past success, Botticelli eventually died in poverty in Florence in 1510.
