The Madonna Del Magnificat By Botticelli

The Madonna del Magnificat was a tondo created in the early 1480’s and considered one of the “most famous” depictions of the Madonna during this time (Botticelli). This composition was also in pyramidal form and again the central figure was that of the female figure the Virgin Mary. Based on the story of the Virgin’s Prayer in the gospel of Luke. Botticelli visualizes a scene that religiously promotes Mary’s prayer and interprets her reply to God. In this scene we see the Madonna being crowned the Queen of Heaven by two angels while two angels hold a book creating the triangular composition. Christ child in the lap of his mother is also being framed by a triangle by the use of Mary’s robe, which opens up into a pyramid shape with the pinnacle just above the head of Christ. This is a symbolism that shows the relationship …show more content…
Mary in general was portrayed as reading but Botticelli chose to display her writing in a book expressing the Humanist belief that imply the worth of writers and human expression (Schibanoff, p.1). There are various other allusions and symbols such as the lily on the throne, which is a symbol of the Virgin as well as many others. Botticelli was known for his use of contemporary landscapes to portray a religious events like this one. It is believed that Botticelli displayed influence of Dutch artist like Van Eyck in this piece by using the convex mirror technique that is used in projection for this piece indicated by the circular rings near the top of the painting (Stork). Finally we will discuss the Calumny of Apelles which best displays Botticelli’s use of linear perspective, Botticelli’s piece was