The ''Madonna di Senigallia'' is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master
Piero della Francesca, finished around 1474. It is housed in the
Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, in the
Ducal Palace Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke.
Notable palaces with the name include:
France
*Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon
*Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy
*Pa ...
of
Urbino.
History
From its small scale the painting was intended for private devotion. It was noticed for the first time in 1822 in the church of the
Observant Franciscan
The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachin ...
convent of
Santa Maria delle Grazie just outside
Senigallia (
Marche
Marche ( , ) is one of the twenty regions of Italy. In English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches ( ). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the ...
), whence the current name. Senigallia was wrested from
Sigismondo Malatesta by
Federico Montefeltro
Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...
: both men were patrons of Piero. The commission was likely from or on behalf of Giovanni Della Rovere, betrothed in 1474 to Giovanna Montefeltro, at which time Federico made Giovanni, lord of Senigallia. Following its rediscovery the painting was taken to the
Ducal Palace, Urbino.
The 1990s restoration showed the high quality of Piero della Francesca's treatment of light,
[Lavin 2002 p290.] as well as the influence of Flemish masters on it, both in its oil on panel medium and in details such as the basket with linen gauze, the coral, and the fabric covering the Madonna's head. The light, which realistically enters from the window on the left, is a symbol of the Virgin's conception. The linen in the basket is instead an allusion to her purity, while the case for hosts in the shelf and the necklace and pendant of coral worn by the infant Jesus both hint to the
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
sacrifice. The staring, thoughtful immobility of all the characters would be also an allusion to the latter.
References
Sources
*
External links
Page at artonline.it
1470s paintings
Paintings by Piero della Francesca
Paintings of the Madonna and Child
Senigallia
Collections of the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
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