Madonna del Sacco (Andrea del Sarto)

The Madonna del Sacco is a fresco painting created in 1525 by the Italian Renaissance artist Andrea del Sarto in the Chiostro Grande (also called Chiostro dei Morti) adjacent to the Basilica of Santissima Annunziata in Florence.

Madonna of the Sack
Artist	Andrea del Sarto
Year	1525
Medium	Fresco
Dimensions	191 cm × 403 cm (75 in × 159 in)
Location	Chiostro Grande, Santissima Annunziata, Florence

History

Andrea del Sarto (1486–1530) had frescoed seven lunettes during 1514–1516 in the small cloister in front of the church facade, including the well-known Nativity of the Virgin. He returned a decade later to complete this more serene, uncrowded arrangement of the Holy Family.

The painting was depicted in copies and engravings by multiple artists including Raphael Morghen and Michelle Corneille the Elder.

Description and style

The work depicts a forward-facing Madonna, seated on a ledge, with the Christ child moving across her lap. To the right of the triangular composition, St Joseph leans on a white sack, reading from an open book. A small closed book lies to the left of the Madonna. All three have yellow halo discs. The pillar to the left of Joseph reads Que Genuit Adora Vit". On the right pillar is the date 1525.

Bibliography

• (in Italian) Eugenio Casalini, La SS. Annunziata di Firenze, Becocci Editore, Firenze 1980.

External links

• "La scheda ufficiale di catalogo" (in Italian).
• Web Gallery of Art entry.
• Copy of the fresco, attributed to unknown Florentine of the 17th-century, held in the Royal Collections Trust.