| Artist | Raphael |
|---|---|
| Year | 1505-1506 |
| Type | Oil on wood |
| Dimensions | 107 cm × 77 cm (42 in × 30 in) |
| Location | Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence |
The Madonna del cardellino or Madonna of the Goldfinch is a painting by the Italian renaissance artist Raphael, from c. 1505-1506. A 10-year restoration process was completed in 2008, after which the painting was returned to its home at the Uffizi in Florence.[1] During the restoration, an antique copy replaced the painting in the gallery.
In this painting, as in most of the Madonnas of his Florentine period, Raphael arranged the three figures - Mary, Christ and the young John the Baptist - to fit into a geometrical design. Though the positions of the three bodies are natural, together they form an almost regular triangle.
The Virgin holds a book, which identifies her as Sedes Sapientiae ("Abode of Wisdom"). St John holds a goldfinch (which, because it feeds among thorns, recalls the crown of thorns which Christ was given before his crucifixion) and Christ reaches out to stroke it.
The Madonna was a wedding gift from Raphael to his friend Lorenzo Nasi. On November 17, 1548 Nasi's house was destroyed by an earthquake and the painting broke into seventeen pieces. It was restored shortly afterwards, but the damage was still visible.
In some versions of Vasari another similar painting is described as the Vallombrosa version but it has never been identified.