Description
Madonna of the Pomegranate is a round painting by Sandro Botticelli from about 1487: Mary and the Christ Child rest their hands on an opened pomegranate, with six young angels around them and a gold halo of rays above. The original, tempera on a panel 143.5 cm across, hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. We paint yours by hand in oil on a square canvas, in one of 6 sizes between 50 x 52 and 130 x 125 cm, or made to measure. You see a photograph of it before it ships.
| Title: | Madonna of the Pomegranate |
| Other titles: | Madonna della Melagrana (Italian title) · Virgin and Child with Six Angels |
| Painter: | Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445–1510) |
| Year painted: | c. 1487 |
| Original size: | 143.5 cm x 143.5 cm (round panel, 143.5 cm in diameter) |
| Original technique: | Tempera on panel |
| Painting style: | Early Renaissance |
| Located at: | Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted in oil on canvas, 6 sizes or made to measure |
Madonna of the Pomegranate – Sandro Botticelli
What does the Madonna of the Pomegranate show?
Mary sits at the centre in a dark blue mantle over a red dress, a sheer veil and a pale pink scarf over her curly fair hair. Her head tilts slightly and her gaze drifts past the viewer.
The curly-haired Child lies across her lap, wrapped in a thin white cloth. He raises his right hand in blessing and with his left touches the split pomegranate, which Mary’s hand supports from below. Red seeds glint through the cracked skin.
Three angels stand on each side, almost mirror images: the middle pair hold open red books, the front pair lilies and garlands of roses. The stole of the angel on the far left is embroidered with the words AVE GRAZIA PLENA. Above them a gold canopy of light sends fine rays across the blue sky.
What does the pomegranate mean?
The pomegranate gives the painting its name. In Christian art the fruit is often read as a sign of the Passion: its many seeds stand for the fullness of Christ’s suffering, and the red seeds recall the blood he shed to save humankind. Because new life grows from the seeds, it is also linked with the Resurrection.
That is why mother and child look grave, almost sad: the pain that awaits Jesus is already present. Lilies and roses are old symbols of Mary’s virginity, and the rose garlands are also read as a nod to the rosary, which took its present form in those decades and whose opening words fill the angel’s stole.
One hypothesis even sees in the opened fruit, with its chambers and membranes, a human heart held over the left side of the chest.
Why is it counted among Botticelli’s most important Madonnas?
Its considered use of colour and symbols and its balanced composition place this Madonna among the famous Botticelli paintings. By arranging the angels symmetrically, the painter overcame a difficulty of his earlier tondo, the Madonna of the Magnificat, where Mary and the Child turn to the right and the angels gather mostly on the left.
Here he used tempera grassa, egg yolk with added oil, which makes the paint more transparent. Over a freehand charcoal drawing he built up the skin in thin, semi-transparent layers of white, ochre and red, hence the pale, porcelain faces with lightly flushed cheeks.
Copying was part of a painter’s training, and the tondo was copied often; one copy in England turned out, after cleaning, to come from Botticelli’s own Florentine workshop. The English Wikipedia article, in English, has more on the copies and readings.
Where is the original, and where did it come from?
It hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, inventory 1890 no. 1607. Unusually for so old a work, it keeps its original carved frame with gold lilies on sky blue, attributed to the workshop of Giuliano da Maiano or Giuliano da Sangallo.
A payment of 1487 records a round Virgin painted by Botticelli for the audience hall of the Massai di Camera, a magistracy of the Florentine Republic. In 1908 the art historian Herbert Horne linked it to this Madonna through the frame; most scholars agree, though the lost original document leaves some doubt about the date.
In the 17th century the painting belonged to Cardinal Leopoldo de’ Medici; after his death in 1675 it passed to the grand-ducal collections, and it has been in the Uffizi since 1780. Botticelli was born in Florence around 1445, trained under Filippo Lippi and died on 17 May 1510.
The Madonna of the Pomegranate or another Botticelli?
The Madonna of the Pomegranate is a canvas painting for rooms where you want stillness: mother, child and six angels form a calm, balanced group, and the blue and gold quieten any wall.
For a smaller, more private Madonna, see the Madonna of the Book, where Mary reads and the Child holds small nails and a crown of thorns. The Cestello Annunciation sets the kneeling angel before a swaying Mary, and The Mystical Nativity brings angels dancing in a ring above the stable.
Our Sandro Botticelli page gathers every work of his that we paint to order.
How do we hand-paint the Madonna of the Pomegranate?
Botticelli painted in tempera on a round wooden panel 143.5 cm in diameter. Ours is hand-painted in oil on canvas and reaches you rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or ready framed: an oil painting reproduction, not tempera on wood.
The original is round; our canvas is square. The painter sets the whole circular scene on the square, and the four corners outside the circle stay light, as in the photograph of the original on this page. If you wish, we paint them in a colour of your choosing.
Work begins with the circle and the eight figures, then the blue mantle and red garments. The faces follow in thin, gradually lightened layers; curls, books, lilies and roses come later, the gold halo last of all.
Which size for which wall?
The short answer: small sizes by a bed or in a hall, middle ones over a chest of drawers, the largest on the main wall of a living or dining room.
There are 6 square or nearly square sizes (width x height): 50 x 52, 60 x 57, 70 x 70, 90 x 88, 110 x 115 and 130 x 125 cm. The original is 143.5 cm across, so every one of our sizes is smaller; the largest, 130 x 125 cm, reaches about 90 per cent of its width.
At 50 x 52 cm it suits a bedside or a prayer corner; from 60 x 57 to 70 x 70 cm the angels read well above a chest of drawers. As a painting for the living room, over a sofa or fireplace, choose 90 x 88, 110 x 115 or 130 x 125 cm, so the gold halo shows across the room.
Can I order another size or a frame?
Yes. Because the scene is round, the whole circle with Mary and all six angels survives any canvas proportion; only the space in the corners changes. Every hand-painted copy therefore shows the complete scene. Tell us the size you need for your Madonna and we will quote a price and date.
Stretching and framing are done by our workshop in Slovenia, which also packs every painting carefully for the journey. The frame is picked in our 3D app, which serves only to choose the moulding; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
When will the Madonna of the Pomegranate arrive?
Allow 15 to 45 working days from your order confirmation until your Madonna is ready to ship. When the painter has finished, you get a photograph, and any change you ask for is made before packing.
Your Madonna travels within Slovenia and the EU without customs duties, and every order is covered by our returns policy.
It makes a fine gift for a wedding, a christening or a new home. If you are unsure which size is right, give a wall art voucher and let the recipient decide.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original painting?
In the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, still in its original frame with gold lilies.
Is it a print?
No. Each one is a Sandro Botticelli reproduction worked with a brush in oil paint.
Why do you paint a round Madonna on a square canvas?
The original is a round tondo. We paint the whole circle on a square canvas; the corners stay light or take a colour you choose.
How big is the original?
It measures 143.5 cm in diameter; all 6 of our sizes are smaller, the largest reaching about 90 % of its width.
Can you paint this Madonna in a size not on the list?
Yes. Give us the width and height and we will come back with a price and a finishing date.
How long does the Madonna take, and how does it reach me?
15 to 45 working days; you get a photograph before dispatch, and the painting travels rolled, stretched or framed.
Would it suit a bedroom or make a good present?
Yes. It suits a bedroom and makes a thoughtful christening gift.
What does the fruit held by Mary and Jesus stand for?
Usually Christ’s suffering and resurrection; the red seeds are read as his blood.
- Subject: the Virgin and Child holding an opened pomegranate, surrounded by six angels with lilies, roses and books.
- Original: tempera on panel, a round tondo 143.5 cm in diameter, c. 1487, Uffizi Gallery, Florence.
- Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas, square format, 6 sizes (50 x 52 to 130 x 125 cm) or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: the painting still has its carved original frame, a rarity for a work of its age.
