The Madonna and Child

This composition is derived from Raphael's Madonna and Child, also known as the 'Mackintosh Madonna', in the National Gallery, London (inv. no. NG2069). The Christ Child clambers all over his mother, wrapping his arm affectionately around her neck and looking out with curiosity, while the Madonna's eyes remain modestly downcast. Widely renowned and instantly recognizable, Raphael's composition was copied by Sassoferrato several times. The suggestion that Sassoferrato may have had recourse to a second model, to explain the variations in his own compositions, has been rejected by Massimo Pulini, who believes that all of Sassoferrato's variants can be traced to Raphael's initial design (M. Pulini, in Il Sassoferrato: la devota bellezza, exhibition catalogue, Milan, 2017, p. 210). The crop of the composition implies that the canvas may have been reduced.

We are grateful to Massimo Pulini for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs and for suggesting that this is a mature work by the artist (written communication, 5 April 2024).