Castelfranco Madonna

Infobox Painting|

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title=Madonna and Child Between St. Francis and St. Nicasius
artist=Giorgione
year=c. 1503
type=oil on canvas
height=200
width=152
museum=Cathedral of Castelfranco VenetoThe "Madonna and Child Between St. Francis and St. Nicasius", also known as "Castelfranco Madonna" (c. 1503) is a painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Giorgione. It is housed in "La Pala" of the Cathedral of Castelfranco Veneto, Giorgione's native city, in Veneto, northern Italy.

Overview

The picture, a typical sacra conversazione, shows the Madonna enthroned with the Child with St. Francis and, on the left, St. Nicasius. The latter, an armored figure, has also been identified as the fighting saint St. George or St. Liberalis, patron of Castelfranco. Tuzio was a member of the Knights of Rhodes, whose ensign is borne by St. Nicasius (a martyred saint who had also belonged to the Hospitallier order).

The traditional scheme of composition is lightened by the novel use of such elements as the throne and the landscape, which takes up a good portion of the background. Noteworthy is also the absence of any reference to ecclesiastical elements of architecture.

The technique of painting is an example of what Vasari called "pittura sanza disegno" (painting without drawing). This was a new approach to painting which revolutionised the Venetian school and is famously used in The Tempest. Titian, a pupil of Giorgione, later became one of the most important exponents of this style.

Commission and subsequent history

The altarpiece was commissioned by the Condottiero Tuzio Costanzo in memory of his son Matteo, who died of a fever whilst serving the Republic of Venice in Serenissima, 1503/4 or 1500. Also commissioned was a family chapel, "La Pala", containing the tombs of Matteo and Tuzio, built into the walls on either side of the painting. This was subsequently demolished and replaced with the Cathedral of Castelfranco in 1724. The new building, which still remains today, contains a small chapel which houses the painting. The tomb of Matteo is directly below. The Costanzo coat of arms, three pairs of ribs, can be seen on the base of the Virgin's throne and on the tomb. (Some scholars have speculated that St. Nicasius himself is actually a portrait of Matteo).

The work has suffered bad restorations in the past centuries, and was stolen on December 10, 1972. After being recovered, it was accurately restored in 2002-2003 by the Accademia Laboratories in Venice and displayed in the major exhibition "Le maraviglie dell'arte", before being returned to its home in Castelfranco in the December of 2005.

External links

* [http://www.comune.castelfrancoveneto.tv.it/?area=1&menu=177 History of the painting (in Italian)]