Medici Madonna

Artist Benedetto Pagni (Italian, 1504-1578)

Dateca. 1546-47

CultureItalian

MediumOil on wood

ClassificationPaintings

ProvenancePossibly in the Chapel of Eleonora of Toledo in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, ca. 1547; by the late 1540s, with Don Fabio Arazola, Marquis of Mondragone, Florence. Samuel Woodburn (1786–1853), London; (offered but not sold at the Woodburn sale, Christie’s, London, 23 May 1854, lot 190). (Sold Christie’s, London, 4 February 1927, lot 30, as Bronzino, “Triumph of Faith,” for £131–5s, to Anthony Reyre); (sold in 1927 to Julius Böhler, as Pontormo); John Ringling (1866–1936), Sarasota, Florida; bequest in 1936 to the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, Florida.

Credit LineBequest of John Ringling, 1936

Object numberSN34

At the time this painting was made, the Medici family ruled Florence. The Renaissance historian Vasari described the painting as "a personification of Florence offering to the Virgin the symbols of the grandeur of the house of Medici." These symbols are the six 'palle' (spheres) in the dish, the genealogical scroll, the tiaras of the two Medici popes, the crown of the Duchy of Tuscany, and the pairing of the crown with the lilies representing the alliance of the Medici with the royal family of France. The artist's portrayal of the figure of Florence is a visual pun (the flowers in her hair being "Flora"). The Virgin is haughty and aristocratic; her charaterization is well-suited to the painting's purpose as a symbol of Medici wealth and power.

On View

On view

Location