The journey of a piece of art over time has many unknowns. The Madonna Gonzaga is one of three Madonna pieces done by Raphael that had been lost for a long period of time. This painting was rediscovered in 1912, by a Boston artist. He found this painting in an attic in Boston. He then willed the painting to one of his associates, Helen Hammond. She then willed it to Catholic University so it would hang in the National Shrine. There is an extensive history of this painting and its travels. There has been a great debate over the authenticity of the Madonna Gonzaga and a long process of how it ended up at Catholic University. There has been a great deal of work done on this Renaissance piece. The proof of authenticity is important for its history because it shows Raphael Sanzio’s work in detail and how his work was influential to others. This work can provide people with a strong understanding of what Renaissance art is. Through its naturalistic characteristics, oil painting, mobility, and perspective, there is a strong understanding of Renaissance art. In this paper, the main focus will be on the history of this painting, the proofs of authenticity once rediscovered in Boston, and how this piece serves as a Renaissance painting.
The Madonna Gonzaga was painted for Isabella d’Este, which she requested to be to her liking. She was an artist herself during the Renaissance. She had many contributions as an artist as well as a critic. There are countless letters from her about the beauty of art. Isabella d’Este met Raphael Sanzio first when she asked to have a self-portrait done by his father. When the time came for the Madonna Gonzaga, Isabella d’Este requested how she wanted this painting to be done. Throughout history, it is seen that the client determines how they want the painting to be done since they are the ones paying for the painting. Because of this, the person viewing Madonna Gonzaga can see some contrasting details based on Raphael Sanzio’s other Madonna works. For example, Isabella d’Este requested that the child in the painting had cloth draped over him. However, many other works of Raphael Sanzio depicted Jesus naked. This detail made art critics question whether this was an authentic painting of Raphael Sanzio. It is interesting that clients can change how an artist creates their works. This detail gave the impression that it was not a real Raphael Sanzio work.
After the death of Isabella d’Este, this painting traveled to many different places. First, Isabella d’Este had wanted this painting to be placed in her palace; however, she had a special liking for this painting that she kept it in her private apartment. Because it was not in her palace, this painting tended to follow her to her new whereabouts. After the death of Isabella d’Este, many of her paintings collected were moved to Mantua. The painting remained here for some time, but then King Charles I of England bought some of the paintings Isabella d’Este had collected. Most of the paintings he had purchased traveled by boat; however, the Madonna Gonzaga traveled by land. Once in England, the painting stayed at the Hampton Courts for around 20 years. Later, there were many paintings being sold in England by the king, including the Madonna Gonzaga. It was sold to a Spanish ambassador named Alonzo de Cardenas. It was placed in the Escuriels in Madrid. Many paintings in the Escurial were taken by the French during Napoleanic Wars; however, the Madonna Gonzaga was taken by King Joseph Bonaparte of Spain, where it then traveled to America. During this time, there were copies made of the Madonna Gonzaga in France, where the painting also spent time under the ownership of Joseph Bonaparte. After being in France, the painting makes it to the United States. Joseph Bonaparte made a home in New Jersey, where the painting was displayed. It is believed that here the painting was bought by a visitor. How the painting ended in Boston is unknown; however, studies show that the painting was hidden for many years due to Protestant and Roman Catholic tension.
The Madonna Gonzaga was to be willed to Catholic University by Helen Hammond because she wanted it to be hung in the National Shrine. The painting first arrived at Catholic University in 1963. For some time it resided in the office of the Vice President of Relations at Catholic University. From there it was moved to an exhibit at Trinity College. For some time, the family of its founder, Patrick E. Duffee wrote to Catholic University to see if the painting was placed in the National Shrine; however, from research, it seems that the painting was not placed in the National Shrine. The painting now resides in Curley Hall in a chapel. It is placed underneath an altar so visitors can observe its beauty.
On top of Trinity College’s request for this piece, there is also an oil copy kept there, showing the significance of this Renaissance painting. It is interesting to see that although Trinity College has a replication of this painting, they also wanted the original from Catholic University for some period of time. This shows the importance of the painting’s authenticity. Further, this deepens how widely known Madonna Gonzaga is. From the time the painting went missing, there were at least six known copies to be made, showing that Raphael’s work is quite famous. Because there were so many copies made, it is made visible that people knew about this specific piece. From the archives, it is also made visible how important this Renaissance piece is due to the many saved letters. The special collections at Catholic University have also kept this painting in the vaults to preserve it.
The extensive journey of this painting shows that Madonna Gonzaga held importance over many years. As seen, this painting traveled throughout many different countries; however, it has been kept in good condition still. This shows that through its travels the painting was kept protected. Isabella d’Este worked hard to keep this painting in good condition, and this mostly continued after it left her possession. If this painting did not have high importance, it would not have been sold throughout the years nor kept in good quality. Raphael Sanzio’s paintings continued to be influential for many years. Many other artists have imitated his works of Madonna. Because of its preservation, artists are able to see his technique and learn how to imitate it.
After the discovery of the Madonna Gonzaga, many artists had doubts about its authenticity; however, this painting proved to be the real Madonna Gonzaga because of its composition. This is one of three proofs that this was the authentic Madonna Gonzaga. This Madonna work shares similarities with many other works by Raphael. Further, there are many other works done by various artists that resemble Madonna Gonzaga. This proves that many other artists were inspired by his work. Throughout history, fellow artists imitate each other, and with the many resembling pieces, Raphael Sanzio seemed to be influential. The composition of other artists’ works shows the authenticity of Madonna Gonzaga. One of these examples includes a work done by sculptor Thorwaldsen. He made a drawing of a Madonna that was influenced by Raphael Sanzio. It is very similar to the Madonna Gonzaga since it includes Jesus laying on the lap of Mary gazing at one another. Another composition done by another artist is a medallion on a sketch for a tomb. This one resembles the painting found in Boston.
Another aspect of this proof includes its technique. The colors that appear in the Madonna Gonzaga (red, white, blue, and green) are colors that are in most works of Raphael Sanzio. Further, the painting was at its peak; hence, after looking at the cracking in the painting, one can see that the cracks are similar to those of other works of Raphael Sanzio. This gives proof that the painting found in Boston is the real Madonna Gonzaga. Additionally, there is much detail on how Raphael Sanzio prepared a panel, designing shadows before putting colors on the panel, and how he drew the outline in great detail. All of these details on the Boston painting have shown to be similar to many other works of Raphael Sanzio. On top of these similarities, the shading in this painting is like other Raphael Sanzio paintings. Like many other of his works, there is a coating on the canvas, and one can see that many of the shadows are done in black. He uses a crayon to do the fine details of shading. The technique proof is the strongest of the three because other artists did not use the same techniques as him. For example, the text states that no other artists “succeeded in rendering the flesh tints as Raphael did” (Glodt, 70) There are two images from the book “Raphael's Madonna Gonzaga; Technical Proofs of Authenticity and History of the Painting” that show similarities between Madonna Gonzaga and other works of Raphael Sanzio. The two figures are shown below along with Madonna Gonzaga (figure 1).
Figure 1
Figure 3
Figure 2
The last aspect of the proof of authenticity includes its signatures. Many of Raphael Sanzio’s works have his initials and his birthplace on them. His birthplace is Urbinas, so the signature would be “ R. S. U..” Unlike many other artists, Raphael Sanzio puts his signature in unique places. In this particular painting, his signature is on Madonna’s garment near the hands of Jesus. The three letters (his first name, last name, and birthplace) are engraved. It is very small to see, however. This gives even greater proof that this is the real Madonna Gonzaga. Because there is a signature on this with the crayon and pigment, it is true that it is a real Raphael Sanzio. This proves that it is also not a copy of Madonna Gonzaga.
The defining parts of this piece that make it a Renaissance painting include its naturalistic qualities, oil paint, mobility, and its perspective. This painting has many naturalistic qualities which include a simple background. This constitutes naturalism because it shows the Madonna and child in a natural state. There is no background; however, the main focus is on the Madonna and child themselves. The black background provides no distractions to the painting. Furthermore, in class, there was a great discussion on oil painting. During the Renaissance, there was a great development in oil painting. In Madonna Gonzaga, there is a strong development of oil painting, which help form many of its details. The perspective of this painting also gives the painting a strong Renaissance quality. In this painting, the focus is on the Madonna and the child. The painting also has depth because one can see its shadows and folds within the garments. This allows the viewer to see the loving relationship between the Madonna and the child. The dull background allows the viewer to only focus on the two people in the painting. In addition to these qualities, this painting also serves as a part of the Renaissance because it travels a lot. It moved a lot to different court cultures and also to different countries. It allowed others to see this painting and be able to model new paintings after the Madonna Gonzaga.
Overall, this painting has an extensive history which helps its viewer understand its importance and its importance as a Renaissance painting. The extensive proof of authenticity shows that this painting is a true Raphael Sanzio painting. It also gives an idea of what painting was like during the Renaissance and how other artists imitated one another. Further, it gives a history of the painting and what details constitute it. The provenance history shows that this painting was important because it was bought and sold by many people. It also traveled to many different places. Once in Boston, the painting was hidden so it would stay safe through Protestant and Roman Catholic tension. The Madonna Gonzaga is a true Renaissance painting that was influential to other artists and gives its audience an idea of what the Renaissance was like. The extensive study of all the details shows how important his works continue to be throughout history.
By: Kelly Smith
Sources:
Applegate, Richard C.. Letter to Mr. John T. Noonan. 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA, June 15, 1972.
Carroll, Aileen F.. Letter to Gentlemen of the Business and Finance Dept. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America, January 12, 1988.
Fleming, Sister Rose Ann. Letter to Dr. Clarence Walton, President of Catholic University. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America, June 9, 1977.
Glodt, John Theodore. Raphael's Madonna Gonzaga; Technical Proofs of Authenticity and History of the Painting. Boston, MA: Athens Pub. Co., 1916.
Zito, Anthony. Archives & Manuscript Department. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America, February 26, 1988.
Zito, Anthony. Loan of Art Objects from Museum Vault to Executive Bldg. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America, March 3, 1988.