Raffaello (1483-1520)
Madonna del Prato (Madonna of the meadow)
1505–1506
Oil on poplar, 113 × 88.3 × 3.5 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Inscription on the hem of Mary’s dress with the year M.d.V. (perhaps also M.D.V.I. to be read)
The group, formed into a pyramid, is embedded in a lovely meadow landscape, which on the one hand underlines the human-earthly element, and on the other hand emphasizes the impression of timeless validity in its fading away on the distant horizon. Thus, the Madonna in the Green becomes an “icon” of the new Renaissance mentality. (KHM)