Madonna of the Pomegranate
The Madonna of the Pomegranate was painted in circa 1487 with tempera on a wood panel by Sandro Botticelli. It is now in the Uffizi in Florence. Sandro Botticelli was a leading Italian Renaissance artist from Florence, Italy. The Madonna (art) uses the circular format, better known as a tondo, which focuses the attention on the main characters, the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus, who are surrounded symmetrically by angels on each side. Botticelli's use of tempera grassa give the characters a real look, better known as a "naturalistic" style, which is common during the Renaissance. The Virgin Mary is holding baby Jesus gently in her arms while holding a pomegranate in her left hand.
The pomegranate being displayed has a few different interpretations of its meaning in the religious piece. There are many replicas of the Madonna of the Pomegranate due to artists during the Renaissance would copy other established artists' artwork to master their own skills. The painting is currently on display at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
A painting by Fra Angelico often given the same title is in the Prado Museum.
History The Madonna of the Pomegranate is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist, Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni dei Filipepi (1445-1510), better known as Sandro Botticelli. Botticelli was born and raised in Florence, where he spent a majority of his life as one of the most admired artists of the Florentine Renaissance. In Botticelli's early teenage years, he withdrew from his studies to begin training as an artist. Botticelli began his training under one of the most influential painters in Florence, Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-1469). Lippi was well protected in Florence by the well known, powerful Medici family; he also created works for convents and churches. Lippi was well known for his line clarity and the use of female figures, which is significant because it had a great influence on Botticelli's style. Madonna of the Pomegranateis one of many paintings produced from Botticelli out of his Florence studio. Botticelli was already an established artist during the time of the creation of the Madonna of the Pomegranate, with many other well known paintings. It is unknown if the painting was commissioned and by whom.
Description In the painting, Madonna of the Pomegranate, Sandro Botticelli made it very easy to identify the figures being displayed. In the middle of the painting, Madonna, better known as the Virgin Mary, is surrounded symmetrically by angels with three on each side of her. The angels that are surrounding the Virgin Mary are worshipping her with lilies and garlands of roses. Jesus Christ is lying gently in the Virgin Mary's arms with one hand from both on them on a pomegranate. Both the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus are displaying a sad face. The expression from the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus is intended to remind the viewer of the pain and torture that the Child of God will endure in the future.
Style Sandro Botticelli was a highly skilled and frequently employed artist throughout his career. In the painting, Madonna of the Pomegranate, Botticelli displays his skills as an Italian Renaissance artist. The style of this painting is "naturalistic", meaning "life-like", which is commonly seen in Renaissance art. Botticelli draws the viewers attention to the Virgin Mary, Jesus and the pomegranate by the use of vertical lines, portraying a shining heavenly light. The use of a circular format of the painting, known as a tondo, assists to focus the attention on these characters. Botticelli displays the use of symmetry by having an equal amount of angels surrounding the Virgin Mary and Jesus on each side. Botticelli began by establishing figures in a careful, freehand, underdrawing in charcoal on the tempera panel. Botticelli was often willing to adopt recent innovations. The most significant innovation in this work was the use of tempera grassa, a type of paint in which egg yolk was modified with adding oil. This made the paint more transparent, as seen in the Madonna of the Pomegranate. Sandro Botticelli is well known for his brush stroke techniques while painting flesh tones and the pigments he used. Botticelli would often apply pigments in a very thin opaque coat, which are better known as scumbles to artists. Botticelli uses semi-transparent layers of whites, ochres, cinnabars and red lakes which are layered over one another, as seen in the painting. The faces of the women he paints are pale, porcelain-like with vague pink brushes over areas of the cheek, nose and mouth. Botticelli paints infants, such as the Child of God with more intense colors such as cinnabar glazes and accents of red lake. The pigments Botticelli uses have a very cool tone but also has a variety of rich colors mixed. Botticelli enhanced the Virgin Mary and Jesus by the use of brighter colors on their skin tones and clothing while the angels carry a much darker tone.
Interpretation In the painting, Madonna of the Pomegranate, by Sandro Botticelli, there are a few different interpretations of the meaning of the pomegranate that is held by the Virgin Mary.