Focus on Bridgewater Madonna and discuss the History.
The work by Raphael has been attributed to his mature period in Florence. In the seventeenth century it was acquired in France as part of the Seignelay collection, eventually becoming the property of the Duke of Orleans, at the Palais-Royal in Paris. In 1792 the painting was purchased for £3,000 by the Duke of Bridgewater (later Earl of Ellesmere). Until 1945 it remained at Bridgewater House, from which it takes its name. It is currently on loan to the Scottish National Gallery from the collection of the Duke of Sutherland (another branch of the same aristocratic family).Preparatory drawings for the work in the Albertina Museum in Vienna and the British Museum in London show that Raphael was partly inspired by the Florentine works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, with painterly features typified by chiaroscuro effects and lively intertwined portrayals of the virgin and child. The painting was probably intended to be displayed as a devotional image in a private chamber.
Scottish National Gallery Florence Albertina Seignelay collection Duke of Orleans Raphael France Duke of Sutherland Michelangelo Palais-Royal Earl of Ellesmere chiaroscuro Vienna Leonardo da Vinci National Gallery British Museum Albertina Museum Paris Duke of Bridgewater