LIKE A LATE 15TH CENTURY VERSION OF A GROUP SELFIE, seven fresh young faces crowd into a rondo viewfinder to immortalize a shared moment. But, not to be misinterpreted as a casual contemporary scene, here the ageless message is unmistakable. In this painting Madonna of the Pomegranate (Uffizi, Florence), by Italian Renaissance artist, Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni dei Filipepi (1445–1510), better known as Sandro Botticelli, he makes it easy to identify the figures on canvas. Central to the composition, the largest of the figures is the Virgin Mary draped in costly lapis lazuli and crimson garb and surrounded in this carefully composed, symmetrical composition by six winged angels—three to each side. Under a radiating, golden glow emanating from the heavens they come bearing lilies and garlands of roses —symbols of purity and innocence—for both mother and child. The generously proportioned Christ Child rests weightlessly in his mother’s arms, as each gingerly touches a pomegranate—the central motif in the scene. The careful choice of the preposition of, not with a pomegranate, alerts the viewer to the artist’s belief in the anthropomorphized relationship between the figure of the Virgin, her God-Child and their connection to the human condition, as symbolized by the fruit of this lowly deciduous shrub.

A mood of sadness pervades what should otherwise be an ebullient shared moment between this union of earthly figures and heavenly cherubim. Instead, the gathering of angels—and mother and child, particularly—appear downcast, even remorseful. Thematically, Botticelli is harking back to an earlier period in Church history, when 13th century monastic orders like the “Servite Friars”, and “Order of the Servants of Mary” took up the Sorrows of Mary, as they imagined her standing beneath the Cross bearing her crucified son. For many devotees, historically, following this theme served as the principal devotion of their religious practice. Over the centuries ‘Mary’s Sorrows’ became a poignant theme for artists, as well. In Madonna of the Pomegranate the countenance of both mother and child reminds the viewer of the pain and torture the Son of God will soon endure. In this composition, employing an artist’s technique called festaiuolo, two angels and the Child himself direct their unwavering gaze on the viewer, breaking the fourth wall to directly implore humankind’s forgiveness and redemption from implied future grief.

“In Christianity, pomegranates symbolize the transition from life to death and resurrection as it eventually will be born again from the seeds left behind.”

This late 15th-early 16th century period marks an important transition in Renaissance painting technique from flat, two-dimensional portrayals of the human figure to more life-like, or “naturalistic” representations. Botticelli lived at the cusp of this transition, influenced by the humanist writings of such men as Petrarch and Boccaccio, as he appeared willing to adopt contemporaneous trends. The most significant innovation in this work was the use of tempera grassa, where egg yolk was mixed with linseed oil. This made his paints more transparent and slower drying, thus introducing a layering technique where underpainting could lend effects more closely resembling human flesh. The transition to oil-based painting was well underway in the Northern Renaissance schools particularly, with Jan van Eyck mistakenly credited with innovating the technique. But the method was being experimented with throughout Europe during this period.

Astoundingly, Renaissance artists themselves found it very valuable to become anatomists and dissectionists, leading to a better understanding of the human body, thus lending a more lifelike appearance to their work. In the late 15th century, there was a resurgence of interest in human anatomy and, by extension, reclamation of the lost medical knowledge from the Greco-Roman era. Grave robbers, or “Resurrectionists” were busy, indeed, selling reclaimed corpses to the highest bidder, in direct defiance of Church doctrine (below, left). This trend only served to influence and inspire artists toward more realistic representation of the human form and by extension, those found in nature.

In Christianity, pomegranates symbolize the transition from life to death and resurrection as it eventually will be born again from the seeds left behind. Over time, the pomegranate has taken on sexualized connotations, its blood red juices and preponderant seeds production becoming emblematic of Christian fecundity and the global proliferation of its ideation. In the case of Botticelli’s work, the pomegranate in the Virgin’s hand serves as a symbol of fullness of Jesus’ suffering and resurrection. The red seeds displayed in the opened pomegranate are meant to remind the viewer of the bloodshed by Jesus, which would redeem humankind. The pomegranate represented in Madonna of the Pomegranate also parallels an accurate representation of cardiac anatomy. The peeled portion of the pomegranate demonstrates non-symmetrical chambers, resembling the cardiac chambers of a heart. Closer examination of the painting reveals the organ’s inner spongy membrane, splitting the arils (seed pods) into five spaces. These spaces represent the atria, ventricles, and the main pulmonary trunk. The crown is separated into two parts, imitating the superior vena cava and the arch of aorta with its three branches. The fruit is also being held in front of the left side of the infant’s chest, overlaying the position of the heart.

“…the artist is careful to illustrate the integral role of the Madonna as a long-suffering figure of strength and virtue in the framing of an evolving Christian story—one told under the watchful eye of southern European, conservative papal authorities.”

In countless depictions of the Madonna and Child, as with Botticelli’s renderings of blue-eyed, pale-skinned devotees, Europeans during mid-second millennium were actively shaping the Christian narrative in their own image. In Madonna of the Pomegranate, the artist is careful to illustrate the integral role of the Madonna as a long-suffering figure of strength and virtue in the framing of an evolving Christian story—one told under the watchful eye of southern European, conservative papal authorities. Likely commissioned by an administrative body of the Florentine Republic (Magistrato dei Massai di Camera) the painting was destined for public display in either the Palazzo della Signoria (Palazzo Vecchio) or in Palazzo del Podestà. It eventually became part of the collection of 17th century Cardinal Leopold de’ Medici. Botticelli’s masterpiece has been preserved at the Uffizi since 1780.

Even after centuries, the painting’s visual power can captivate the viewer with its indulgent representation of human flesh and passion. One can easily envision any one of those six abiding angels, so singularly and beautifully rendered, easily stepping out of the gold rondo frame to capture her very own “chill vibe” with yet another group selfie.

 

By Richard J. Friswell, Managing Editor