Giovan Battista Salvi, known as Sassoferrato (after his hometown in the Marche, region of central Italy), depicts in this artwork the Madonna seated among the clouds while holding the Child in her arms. The representation of the Virgin Mary seated on the clouds with her feet resting upon the crescent moon is an allusion to the Immaculate Conception. The Christ Child, on the other hand, wears a coral necklace around his neck, which has a dual meaning: it is an archaic symbol of protection against dangers, but above all it prefigures the blood that he would shed during his Passion. Jesus holds in his hand an amber rosary ending in a rose (to remind the viewer of the importance of the Holy Rosary), which intertwines with the arm of his Mother, thus emphasizing the profound bond between Mother and Son and the role of Mary as a mediator of grace before Jesus. This can be perceived in the prominence of the two figures throughout the painting, which in fact occupy almost the entire composition, leaving little space for the heads of the cherubs that crowd the scene, emerging from the clouds as if to frame the two protagonists of the work. The image confirms the stylistic elements that characterize Sassoferrato’s vast production of religious subjects: images with a solid formal structure and bright, almost enamel-like colours.
Approximately at the beginning of the 16th century. Image of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. Typically, such paintings are characterized by expressive faces, soft colors and a holy atmosphere. During the Renaissance, paintings of the Madonna and Child served not only as religious images, but also as tools for spiritual education and reminders of the role of the Virgin Mary and Jesus in the salvation of mankind.
Salvi's work was popular among the Milanese and Neapolitan aristocracy, and his paintings were often commissioned and intended for churches or private collections.
