Study of Botticelli’s Madonna of the Book (2024)
9 x 12 inches
charcoal on travel paper
I present to you a charcoal study or sketch of Sandro Botticelli’s Madonna of the Book.
In this piece, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus are shown seated by a window, while both of them are reading the Book of Hours prayer book. Quite fitting when you realize that Mary descends from the priestly line of the Levites on her mother’s side.
Some scholars say that only Mary is reading the book, but I would say otherwise. I would say that both of them are. It plainly looks like a mother teaching her child to read. Really? But isn’t Jesus God? And does he really need to learn anything?
I think that that is the beauty of the Incarnation. When God chose to be born out of a woman, He freely chose and permitted Himself to be one hundred percent human (while being one hundred percent God), and that experience includes all normal human being needs – with one of them being the need to learn.
But with Jesus being God, I find it rather cute (and fitting) that you can see the Child Christ seems to give a nod of approval to what His mother does.
Looking around this piece, you can see that the Child Jesus holds on His left hand the nails of the Crucifixion, along with the Crown of Thorns – wrapped around His arm. Scholars say that these elements were a latter addition to the already finished piece. I think it is a homage to another more ancient Madonna and Child – the Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon that also carries those symbols.
Behind them, you can see a quite ornate Tuscan ceramic bowl of fruits – each holding a special Christian meaning. The cherries represent the blood of Christ. Plums show the tenderness between mother and Son. And the figs, Jesus’ favorite snack (aside from bread, being from Bethlehem), is representative of the Resurrection.
Sandro Botticelli, by the way, is also the painter of that super famous Renaissance masterpiece, “The Birth of Venus”. Maybe that’s why I immediately saw a similarity between the face of Mary (and even her hair color) to that of Venus. Same style, of course, but they also share several facial features. Maybe Botticelli has a personal standard for female beauty. But of course, Mary is far superior than Venus, that is why the artist made her gentler, prettier, more immaculate.
PS. I am going to do some Baroque next. Wait and see. 😉
Toda la Gloria a mi patron mayor, el Espíritu Santo.
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The Art of L De Guzmán 