The Garvagh Madonna

The two children reach towards the same red flower. Christ sits on Mary’s lap, taking a carnation from the young John the Baptist. The little gap between their hands sits at the centre of Raphael’s carefully arranged group. Raphael was an Italian painter working in Rome when he made this picture around 1510–11. Alongside his large commissions for the pope, he produced smaller images of Mary and Christ for private devotion. We do not know who ordered this one. A carnation traditionally stood for divine love and could also recall Christ’s future suffering and death. The exchange is affectionate, but it gives the children’s play a more solemn meaning. Mary’s lowered gaze allows a thoughtful mood to run through the scene. Notice the way her body turns on the bench while her head bends towards the children. Their movements remain easy to follow despite the compact space. The painting’s two familiar names, Garvagh Madonna and Aldobrandini Madonna, record later owners rather than a place within the biblical story.