Medici Madonna

The "Medici Madonna" is a marble sculpture by Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo, dating from 1521-1534 and part of the decoration of the Sagrestia Nuova in the church of San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy.

The work, according to Michelangelo's letters and other documents, was one of the first works begun for the decoration of the Sagrestia Vecchia ("Old Sacristy"), as early as 1521. In 1526 it was still incomplete and in 1534, when Michelangelo moved to Rome, it was left in the current unfinished state and moved to the current location by Niccolò Tribolo.

Several preparatory drawings (at the British Museum and the Albertina) show a less compact composition, with the Madonna's legs which were parallel to each other. The composition is somewhat similar to the "Madonna of the Stairs", with the Virgin sitting on nearly cubic block and breastfeeding the Child. The latter is turnig his body towards her, hiding the face from the seer.

Sources

• Baldini, Umberto (1973). Michelangelo scultore. Milan: Rizzoli.