The Sistine Madonna

The “Sistine Madonna” is one of most famous Renaissance artworks in the world. Raphael painted the altarpiece in 1512/13 in Rome. It was commissioned by Pope Julius II, who send the picture as a gift to the monastery church San Sisto in Piacenza (a small town southeast of Milan). The open curtains reveal a vision: The Virgin Mary is carrying the Infant Jesus from Heaven down to Earth. St Sixtus is…