Raphael Santi's painting "The Sistine Madonna" was originally created by the great painter as an altar image for the church of San Sisto (St. Sixtus) in Piacenza. Painting size 270 x 201 cm, oil on canvas. The painting depicts the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child, Pope Sixtus II and Saint Barbara. Painting " Sistine Madonna"is one of the most famous works of world art. In Renaissance painting, this is perhaps the deepest and most beautiful embodiment of the theme of motherhood. For Raphael Santi, it was also a kind of result and synthesis of many years of searching in the theme closest to him. Raphael wisely used the opportunities here a monumental altar composition, the view of which opens in the distant perspective of the church interior immediately, from the moment the visitor enters the temple, from a distance the motif of an opening curtain, behind which, like a vision, a Madonna appears walking on the clouds with a child in her arms, should give the impression of a breathtaking force. Saints Sixtus and Barbara, the upward gaze of the angels, the general rhythm of the figures - everything serves to attract the viewer’s attention to the Madonna herself.

Compared with the images of other Renaissance painters and with previous jobs Raphael's painting "The Sistine Madonna" reveals an important new quality - increased spiritual contact with the viewer. In the “Madonnas” that preceded him, the images were distinguished by a kind of internal isolation - their gaze was never turned to anything outside the picture; they were either busy with the child or self-absorbed. Only in Raphael’s painting “Madonna in an Armchair” do the characters look at the viewer, and there is deep seriousness in their gaze, but to a more certain extent their experiences are not revealed by the artist. There is something in the look of the Sistine Madonna that seems to allow us to look into her soul. It would be an exaggeration to talk here about the increased psychological expression of the image, about the emotional effect, but in the Madonna’s slightly raised eyebrows, in her wide-open eyes - and her gaze itself is not fixed and difficult to catch, as if she is looking not at us, but past or through us, - there is a shade of anxiety and the expression that appears in a person when his fate is suddenly revealed to him. It’s like a providence of the tragic fate of her son and at the same time a readiness to sacrifice him. The drama of the mother’s image is highlighted in its unity with the image of the infant Christ, whom the artist endowed with childlike seriousness and insight. It is important, however, to note that with such a deep expression of feeling, the image of the Madonna is devoid of even a hint of exaggeration and exaltation - its harmonic basis is preserved in it, but, unlike Raphael’s previous creations, it is more enriched with shades of innermost emotional movements. And, as always with Raphael, the emotional content of his images is unusually clearly embodied in the very plasticity of his figures. The painting "Sistine Madonna" provides a clear example of the peculiar "multiple meanings" inherent in Raphael's images. simple movements and gestures. Thus, the Madonna herself appears to us as simultaneously moving forward and standing still; her figure seems to float easily in the clouds and at the same time has the real weight of a human body. In the movement of her hands carrying the baby, one can discern the instinctive impulse of a mother holding her child close to her, and at the same time the feeling that her son does not belong only to her, that she is carrying him as a sacrifice to people. The high figurative content of such motifs distinguishes Raphael from many of his contemporaries and artists of other eras who considered themselves his followers, and who often hid nothing but an external effect behind the ideal appearance of their characters.

The composition of the Sistine Madonna is simple at first glance. In reality, this is apparent simplicity, because general construction The painting is based on unusually subtle and at the same time strictly verified relationships of volumetric, linear and spatial motifs, imparting grandeur and beauty to the painting. Her impeccable balance, devoid of artificiality and schematism, does not in the least hinder the freedom and naturalness of the figures’ movements. The figure of Sixtus, dressed in a wide robe, for example, is heavier than the figure of Varvara and is located slightly lower than her, but the curtain above Varvara is heavier than above Sixtus, and thereby the necessary balance of masses and silhouettes is restored. Such a seemingly insignificant motif, like the papal tiara, placed in the corner of the picture on the parapet, has great figurative and compositional significance, introducing into the picture that share of the feeling of the earthly firmament that is required to give the heavenly vision the necessary reality. The expressiveness of Raphael Santi’s melodious lines is sufficiently evidenced by the contour of the Madonna’s figure, powerfully and freely outlining her silhouette, full of beauty and movement.

How was the image of the Madonna created? Was there for him real prototype? In this regard, a number of things are associated with the Dresden painting ancient legends. Researchers find similarities in the Madonna's facial features with the model of one of the women's portraits Raphael - the so-called “Lady in the Veil” (“La Donna Velata”, 1516, Pitti Gallery). But in resolving this issue, first of all, one should take into account famous saying Raphael himself from a letter to his friend Baldassare Castiglione that in creating the image of a perfect female beauty he is guided by a certain idea, which arises on the basis of many impressions from the beauties the artist saw in life. In other words, basically creative method The painter Raphael Santi turns out to be a selection and synthesis of observations of reality.

The painting, lost in one of the churches of provincial Piacenza, remained little known until mid-18th century century, when the Saxon Elector Augustus III, after two years of negotiations, received permission from Benedict XIV to take it to Dresden. Prior to this, Augustus' agents tried to negotiate the purchase of more famous works Raphael, who were in Rome itself. In the Temple of San Sisto there remains a copy of the Sistine Madonna made by Giuseppe Nogari. A few decades later, after the publication of rave reviews by Goethe and Winckelmann, the new acquisition eclipsed Correggio's Holy Night as the main masterpiece of the Dresden collection.

Since Russian travelers began their grand tour precisely from Dresden, the “Sistine Madonna” became for them their first meeting with the heights of Italian art and therefore received Russia XIX centuries of deafening fame, surpassing all other Raphael Madonnas. Almost all artistically oriented Russian travelers to Europe wrote about her - N.M. Karamzin, V.A. Zhukovsky (“heavenly passing maiden”), V. Kuchelbecker (“divine creation”), A.A. Bestuzhev (“this is not Madonna, this is Raphael’s faith”), K. Bryullov, V. Belinsky (“the figure is strictly classical and not at all romantic”), A.I. Herzen, A. Fet, L.N. Tolstoy, I. Goncharov, I. Repin, F.M. Dostoevsky. A.S. mentions this work several times, having not seen it with his own eyes. Pushkin.

After the Great Patriotic War the painting was kept in storage Pushkin Museum, until it was returned along with the entire Dresden collection to the GDR authorities in 1955. Before this, “Madonna” was presented to the Moscow public. To see off the “Sistine Madonna” V.S. Grossman responded story of the same name, where he connected the famous image with his own memories of Treblinka: “Looking after the Sistine Madonna, we retain the belief that life and freedom are one, that there is nothing higher than the human in man” 1.

The delights that the painting evoked among travelers, which had become routine, led to a certain reaction against this work, as well as against Raphael’s work in general, which from the second half of the 19th century century became associated with academicism. Already Leo Tolstoy wrote: “The Sistine Madonna... does not evoke any feeling, but only a painful anxiety about whether I am experiencing the feeling that is required” 2.

Even reference books note that the colors of the Madonna have noticeably faded; Neither placing the painting under glass nor museum lighting helps to enhance the effect it produces. When the famous image was exhibited in Moscow, Faina Ranevskaya reacted to the disappointment of some intellectuals as follows: “This lady has been liked by so many people for so many centuries that now she herself has the right to choose who she likes” 3 .

The reception of this image in popular culture which sometimes crosses the line of vulgarity. At the 2012 Dresden exhibition dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the masterpiece, many consumer goods were shown with reproductions of Raphael’s putti: “winged children puff out their cheeks from the pages of girls’ albums of the 19th century, turn into two cute piglets in an advertisement for a Chicago sausage manufacturer of the 1890s.” Here a wine label with them, here’s an umbrella, here’s a candy box, and here’s toilet paper,” Kommersant wrote about this exhibition 4 .

“The genius of pure beauty” - this is what Vasily Zhukovsky said about the “Sistine Madonna”. Later Pushkin borrowed this image and dedicated it earthly woman- Anna Kern. Raphael also painted the Madonna with real person probably from his own mistress

1. Madonna. Some researchers believe that the image Holy Virgin Raphael wrote from his mistress Margherita Luti. According to the Russian art historian Sergei Stam, “in the eyes of the Sistine Madonna, immediate openness and trust, ardent love and tenderness, and at the same time wariness and anxiety, indignation and horror at human sins froze; indecision and at the same time readiness to accomplish a feat (to give up his son to death. - Note "Around the world")».

2. Child Christ. According to Stam, “his forehead is not childishly high, and his eyes are not at all childishly serious. However, in their gaze we see neither edification, nor forgiveness, nor reconciling consolation... His eyes look at the world that has opened before them intently, intensely, with bewilderment and fear.” And at the same time, in the gaze of Christ one can read the determination to follow the will of God the Father, the determination to sacrifice oneself for the salvation of humanity.

3. Sixtus II. Very little is known about the Roman pontiff. He did not remain on the holy throne for long - from 257 to 258 - and was executed under Emperor Valerian by beheading. Saint Sixtus was the patron saint of the Italian papal family of Rovere (Italian: "oak"). Therefore, acorns and oak leaves are embroidered on his golden robe.

4. Hands of Sixtus. Raphael wrote the holy pope pointing right hand on the altar crucifix (remember that the “Sistine Madonna” hung behind the altar and, accordingly, behind the altar cross). It is curious that the artist depicted six fingers on the pontiff’s hand - another six encrypted in the painting. Left hand the high priest is pressed to his chest - as a sign of devotion to the Virgin Mary.

5. Papal tiara removed from the head of the pontiff as a sign of respect for the Madonna. The tiara consists of three crowns, symbolizing the kingdom of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is crowned with an acorn - the heraldic symbol of the Rovere family.

6. Saint Barbara was the patroness of Piacenza. This 3rd century saint turned to faith in Jesus in secret from her pagan father. The father tortured and beheaded his renegade daughter.

7. Clouds. Some believe that Raphael depicted the clouds as singing angels. In fact, according to the teachings of the Gnostics, these are not angels, but not yet born souls who reside in heaven and glorify the Almighty.

8. Angels. The two angels at the bottom of the picture look dispassionately into the distance. Their apparent indifference is a symbol of acceptance of the inevitability of divine providence: Christ is destined for the cross, and he cannot change his fate.

9. Open curtain symbolizes the open heavens. His green color indicates the mercy of God the Father, who sent his son to death to save people.

Pushkin borrowed a poetic formula from an older contemporary and turned it to an earthly woman - Anna Kern. However, this transfer is relatively natural: Raphael may have painted the Madonna with real character- his own mistress.

At the beginning of the 16th century, Rome fought a difficult war with France for the possession of the northern lands of Italy. In general, luck was on the side of the papal troops, and the northern Italian cities, one after another, went over to the side of the Roman pontiff. In 1512, Piacenza, a town 60 kilometers southeast of Milan, did the same. For Pope Julius II, Piacenza was more than just a new territory: here was the monastery of St. Sixtus, the patron saint of the Rovere family, to which the pontiff belonged. To celebrate, Julius II decided to thank the monks (who actively campaigned for joining Rome) and ordered from Raphael Santi (by that time already a recognized master) an altar image in which the Virgin Mary appears to Saint Sixtus.

Raphael liked the order: it allowed him to saturate the painting with symbols that were important to the artist. The painter was a Gnostic - a follower of the late antique religious movement, based on the Old Testament, eastern mythology and a number of early Christian teachings. Gnostics of all magic numbers they especially revered the six (it was on the sixth day, according to their teaching, that God created Jesus), and Sixtus is precisely translated as “sixth.” Rafael decided to play on this coincidence. Therefore, compositionally, the painting, according to Italian art critic Matteo Fizzi, encodes a six: it is made up of six figures, which together form a hexagon.

Work on the “Madonna” was completed in 1513; until 1754, the painting was in the monastery of St. Sixtus, until it was bought by the Saxon Elector Augustus III for 20,000 sequins (almost 70 kilograms of gold). Before the outbreak of World War II, the Sistine Madonna was in the Dresden gallery. But in 1943, the Nazis hid the painting in an adit, where, after a long search, Soviet soldiers discovered it. This is how Raphael’s creation came to the USSR. In 1955, the Sistine Madonna, along with many other paintings taken from Germany, was returned to the authorities of the GDR and is now in the Dresden Gallery.

Photo: BRIDGEMAN/FOTODOM.RU, DIOMEDIA

Sistine Madonna - Raphael Santi. Canvas, oil. 256x196

Even in the 19th century, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and many artists spoke about the phenomenon of “public admiration,” which prevents us from perceiving this work individually and objectively. Moreover, everyone unanimously agreed that this was an undoubted masterpiece.

The unusualness of this work by the master, for whom the Mother of God with a baby in her arms is a favorite subject, is that it was painted on canvas. At that time, the vast majority of works of this kind were written on boards. Some researchers believe that the artist chose the canvas because he could not find a board of the appropriate size.

The painting was commissioned by Cardinal de Rovere, the future Pope Julius II. The work was intended for the altar of one of the provincial cathedrals, in which the relics of St. Sixtus and St. Barbara were kept. Both personalities are represented in the painting next to the Virgin and Child.

All the characters in the picture had prototypes in life. It is known that the artist painted Pope Sixtus from the cardinal who ordered it. One of the legends of the picture claims that the pope is depicted with six fingers. The inconsistency of this statement is obvious if you look at the pope's hand more closely.

The composition of the painting becomes clearer if you know that a crucifix should have been placed in front of the work. Then the pope’s gesture becomes clear, pointing to the Great Sacrifice of the Son of the Mother of God in the future, as well as the mournful submission of Saint Barbara.

A strong impression is made by the childish face of the savior and his obvious resemblance to the Mother.

The viewer is confused by the deliberately “earthly” curtain strung on a primitive cornice. The care with which this obscure detail is written confuses the audience, forcing it to think about the meaning of this detail, its purpose.

The clouds in the background of the work, representing numerous angelic faces, emphasize the solemnity and significance of what is happening, bringing into the work that sacred pomp that is an indispensable component of all altar paintings of the Renaissance.

“I remember a wonderful moment:

You appeared before me,

Like a fleeting vision

Like a genius of pure beauty..."

We are all with school years remember these lines. At school we were told that Pushkin dedicated this poem to Anna Kern. But that's not true. According to Pushkin scholars, Anna Petrovna Kern was not a “genius of pure beauty,” but was known as a woman of very “free” behavior. She stole from Pushkin famous poem, literally snatching it from his hands. Who did Pushkin write about then, whom did he call “the genius of pure beauty”?

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It is now known that the words “genius of pure beauty” belong to the Russian poet Vasily Zhukovsky , who in 1821 admired Raphael Santi’s painting “The Sistine Madonna” in the Dresden Gallery.

Here is how Zhukovsky conveyed his impressions: “The hour that I spent in front of this Madonna belongs to the happy hours of life... Everything around me was quiet; first, with some effort, he entered into himself; then he clearly began to feel that the soul was spreading; some kind of touching feeling greatness was included in it; the indescribable was depicted for her, and she was where only life can be in the best moments. The genius of pure beauty was with her.”

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The painting “The Sistine Madonna” was painted by Raphael in 1512-1513, commissioned by Pope Julius II for the altar of the church of the monastery of Saint Sixtus in Piacenza, where the relics of Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara were kept.

The painting shows Pope Sixtus II, who was martyred in 258 AD. and canonized, asks Mary for intercession for all who pray to her before the altar. The pose of Saint Barbara, her face and downcast gaze express humility and reverence.

As ancient legends tell, Pope Julius II had a vision of the Mother of God and Child. Through the efforts of Raphael, it turned into the appearance of the Virgin Mary to people. Main question: Is this work a painting? or is it an icon? Raphael sought to transform the human into the divine, and the earthly into the eternal.

Raphael wrote The Sistine Madonna at a time when he himself was experiencing severe grief. And therefore he put all his sadness into the divine face of his Madonna. He created the most beautiful image Mother of God, combining in him the traits of humanity with the highest religious ideality. The image of a woman with a baby captured by Raphael has forever gone down in the history of painting as something tender, virgin and pure.

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However, in real life the woman depicted as the Madonna was far from an angel. Moreover, she was considered one of the most depraved women of her era. If the priests had known that Raphael painted the Madonna from his mistress, it is unlikely that she would have been able to stand behind the altar image in the monastery of St. Sixtus, for whom this work was commissioned from the artist.

This picture is not just a figment of the artist’s imagination or invention. Each detail has a special meaning and a story that was only recently discovered. Not long ago, scientists took a closer look and saw that Raphael, in the main characters of the painting, the Madonna with Little Jesus, encoded the first letter of his name.

Many masters did this both during the time of the painter and after him. But in addition, hidden in the details interesting stories. According to researchers famous painting, the main symbols, of which there are 9, form a hexagon and these details are worthy of special attention.

The painter was a Gnostic - a follower of the late antique religious movement, based on the Old Testament, Eastern mythology and a number of early Christian teachings.

Of all the magical numbers, the Gnostics especially revered the number six. (it was on the sixth day, according to their teaching, that God created Jesus), and Sixtus is precisely translated as “sixth.” Raphael decided to play on this coincidence. Therefore, compositionally, the painting, according to Italian art critic Matteo Fizzi, encodes a six: it is made up of six figures, which together form a hexagon.

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1. MADONNA

Some researchers believe that Raphael painted the image of the Blessed Virgin from his mistress Margherita Luti. It’s difficult to say whether this is actually true now, but many artists depict the faces of their women on canvases. They were a kind of models who were always at hand and, moreover, inspired the master. According to the Russian art historian Sergei Stam, “in the eyes of the Sistine Madonna, immediate openness and trust, ardent love and tenderness, and at the same time wariness and anxiety, indignation and horror at human sins froze; indecision and at the same time readiness to accomplish a feat (to give up his son to death).

2. THE CHILD CHRIST

It is difficult to say whether the prototype of the son of God was a real child, but if you look closely, you will see that his look is quite mature, and in addition, in the eyes of a baby, Raphael depicted the child’s understanding, even at that age, of his fate and its role for all humanity . According to Stam, “his forehead is not childishly high, and his eyes are not at all childishly serious. However, in their gaze we see neither edification, nor forgiveness, nor reconciling consolation... His eyes look at the world that has opened before them intently, intensely, with bewilderment and fear.” And at the same time, in the gaze of Christ one can read the determination to follow the will of God the Father, the determination to sacrifice oneself for the salvation of humanity.

3. SYKST II

Very little is known about the Roman pontiff. He did not remain on the holy throne for long - from 257 to 258 - and was executed under Emperor Valerian by beheading. Saint Sixtus was the patron saint of the Italian papal family of Rovere (Italian: "oak"). Therefore, acorns and oak leaves are embroidered on his golden robe.

4. HANDS OF SYSTUS

Raphael painted the holy pope pointing with his right hand at the altar crucifix (remember that the “Sistine Madonna” hung behind the altar and, accordingly, behind the altar cross). It is curious that the artist depicted six fingers on the pontiff’s hand—another six encrypted in the painting.

Although other researchers refute this theory: what many take for the sixth finger, in their opinion, is internal part palms. When you look at a low-resolution reproduction, you may get this impression. The high priest's left hand is pressed to his chest as a sign of devotion to the Virgin Mary.

5. POPAL TIARA

The tiara is taken from the head of the pontiff as a sign of respect for the Madonna. The tiara consists of three crowns, symbolizing the kingdom of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is crowned with an acorn - the heraldic symbol of the Rovere family.

6. SAINT BARBARA

Saint Barbara was the patroness of Piacenza. This 3rd century saint turned to faith in Jesus in secret from her pagan father. The father tortured and beheaded his renegade daughter.

7. CLOUDS

Some believe that Raphael depicted the clouds as singing angels. In fact, according to the teachings of the Gnostics, these are not angels, but not yet born souls who reside in heaven and glorify the Almighty.

8. ANGELS

The two angels at the bottom of the picture look dispassionately into the distance. Their apparent indifference is a symbol of acceptance of the inevitability of divine providence: Christ is destined for the cross, and he cannot change his fate.

9. OPEN CURTAIN

The curtain symbolizes the open heavens. Its green color indicates the mercy of God the Father, who sent his son to death to save people.

Work on the Madonna was completed in 1513, and until 1754 the painting was in the monastery of St. Sixtus, until it was bought by the Saxon Elector August III for 20,000 sequins (almost 70 kilograms of gold).

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Before the outbreak of World War II, the Sistine Madonna was in the Dresden gallery.

But in 1943, the Nazis hid the painting in an adit, where, after a long search, she was discovered by Soviet soldiers . This is how Raphael’s creation came to the USSR.

In 1955, the Sistine Madonna, along with many other paintings exported from Germany, was returned to the GDR authorities and is now in the Dresden Gallery.

ARTIST Rafael Santi 8:838

1483 - Born in Urbino into the family of an artist.
1500 - Began training in the art workshop of Pietro Perugino. Signed the first contract - for the creation of the altar image “Coronation of St. Nikola from Tolentino."
1504-1508 - Lived in Florence, where he met Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. He created the first Madonnas - “Madonna of Granduca” and “Madonna of the Goldfinch”.
1508-1514 - Worked on the paintings of the papal palace (frescoes “The School of Athens”, “The Deliverance of the Apostle Peter from Prison”, etc.), painted a portrait of Pope Julius II. Received the position of scribe of papal decrees.
1512-1514 - Painted The Sistine Madonna and Madonna di Foligno.
1515 - Was appointed chief custodian of antiquities of the Vatican. Wrote "Madonna in an Armchair".
1520 - Died in Rome.

One of the most frequently discussed and best-loved masterpieces of the Renaissance is Raphael's Sistine Madonna. For many people, it remains an example of high Western painting. Its popularity is almost as great as that of the Mona Lisa. All who have studied this painting have recognized the strange and confusing expressions on the faces of Mary and the baby Jesus, but all attempts to decipher their meanings have often failed.

A short history of a great masterpiece

Raphael's works are incredibly significant and interesting. When he painted his painting “The Sistine Madonna,” he made a breakthrough in creativity and left a unique masterpiece for posterity. Initially, this painting was rejected by customers and doomed to many years of wandering. She saw the asceticism of the monastery walls and the luxury of the royal palaces. In the 16th century, this unique work was almost forgotten, in the 19th century it became one of the most popular creations of world art, and in the middle of the 20th century it almost died. All these vicissitudes befell the canvas that Raphael Santi painted - “The Sistine Madonna”.

A masterpiece that cannot leave you indifferent

The great Renaissance man was called the poet of the image of the Madonna. The motif of mother and baby remained unchanged in many of Raphael’s works, but the Sistine Madonna impresses the viewer with the most strong impression- Madonna's eyes look trusting and at the same time alarming.

With grandeur and simplicity, a woman brings to people the most precious thing - her son. Madonna easily and confidently walks on the clouds that swirl under her bare feet. A light breeze lifts the edge of her simple cloak. With all her appearance, Madonna resembles an ordinary peasant woman. She even holds her son the way peasant women usually hold their children. This is exactly how the author of the Sistine Madonna conveyed the image of the Virgin Mary.

Art historians' assumptions about Raphael's masterpiece

This simple woman is greeted as the Queen of Heaven. A kneeling old man in a formal papal robe looks admiringly at the Madonna - this is Saint Sixtus. It was to him that the Mother of God appeared along with her companion, who eases the torment of the dying.

Art historians pay close attention to Raphael’s work “The Sistine Madonna”: and its detailed study has occupied the minds of researchers for many decades, because this is a tombstone painting that the artist created for the death of his benefactor Pope Julius II. That is why the facial features of Julius are captured in the image of Saint Sixtus, and the one standing on the parapet is crowned with an acorn, the coat of arms of Julius the Second.

Order for a tombstone painting

Raphael's patron Santi was a wayward old man. He could beat the artist with his staff or order the destruction of frescoes that he did not like. At the same time, Julius spared no expense on decorating palaces and churches.

On his order, Raphael painted the halls of the new papal palace in Rome and created the majestic frescoes “Dispute”, “Parnassus” and others. In 1513, Julius II died, and Raphael, as one of his most beloved artists, was asked to paint a picture that was to be placed over the tomb of the Pope in the Roman Cathedral of San Pietro. Of course, Rafael Santi agreed to do this work. The Sistine Madonna became a funeral painting.

The two-hundred-year wanderings of the famous painting

It is assumed that the artist was working on his work in 1513, but the Pope's relatives changed their minds and installed a statue in the cathedral instead of the painting. It was the sculpture "Moses" by Michelangelo, Raphael's eternal rival. And the artist’s rejected masterpiece was taken from Rome. Thus began the wanderings of the “Sistine Madonna”.

For two centuries, the painting was in the provincial town of Piacenza, in the Benedictine monastery.

This gave rise to the legend that the Sistine Madonna was commissioned by monks for a church altar. More than two centuries passed, and the painting was acquired in 1754 by the passionate German art collector Augustus the Third. He paid 20,000 sequins for it, a considerable sum at that time. The work was brought to Saxony, to the Dresden Palace Ensemble, but only a select few could see it. The pearl of the gallery, which was painted by Raphael Santi, “The Sistine Madonna,” was hidden from prying eyes in one of the deserted halls of the palace for the next 100 years.

Historical events that the famous masterpiece had to endure

Meanwhile, Europe was rocked by revolutions. In 1749, a popular uprising began in Germany. Fired up during street fighting in Dresden concert hall Zwinger, but fortunately the paintings were not damaged. After 6 years, the damaged part of the palace was restored.

In 1855, the Sistine Madonna, along with other masterpieces, was moved to another wing of the building. The Dresden Gallery has become a place of pilgrimage for thousands of people from many countries around the world. On May 8, 1945, Dresden was attacked by one and a half thousand American bombers. The historical center of the city, which has a three-hundred-year history, was destroyed in an hour and a half. The Zwinger architectural ensemble was turned into ruins.

But two months later, not far from Dresden, Soviet soldiers discovered an abandoned quarry. There were canvases lying right on the damp stones Dutch masters, and only one painting was carefully packed in a box with special shock absorbers. Of course it was famous masterpiece, which was created by Raphael Santi - "Sistine Madonna".

Travel to Russia

In the summer of 1945, this painting, along with other paintings from German museums, was taken to Moscow. For nine years, the best restorers brought the damaged work of art back to life. And in 1954, the “Sistine Madonna” and other exhibits were exhibited for two months in Moskovsky, after which they were returned to the GDR.

Over the years of his life, Rafael Santi wrote many works. The paintings “The Sistine Madonna”, “The Three Graces”, “The Teaching of the Virgin Mary”, “The Triumph of Galatea” and many others evoke a feeling of admiration and awe.