The painting was executed between 1472 to 1474.

Some sources state that the work was commissioned

for to celebrate the birth of Federico's son, Guidobaldo, who was born in 1472. According to this
hypothesis, the Child could represent Guidobaldo, while Virgin may have the appearance of Battista
Sforza, Federico's wife, who died in the same year and was buried at San Bernardino.This type of
painting is known as a sacra conversazione — that is, a “holy conversation” where the Virgin and Child
are surrounded by an informal group of saints. In paintings like this, saints can be from different ages,
regardless of the period in which they lived. The sacra conversazione image gradually replaced the
polyptych form (a painting divided into sections or panels) in the 15th century. It is actually quite a
crowded scene. There are fourteen figures in all. The Virgin Mary is sat on a throne in the centre with
Christ asleep on her lap, surrounded by saints. In fact, the line-up of figures includes six saints, four
angels, and kneeling at the front, the donor for the painting, Federico III da Montefeltro. About Mary
stand the numerous saints, most of them connected with the painting’s donor in one way or another. From
left to right, there is John the Baptist, next to him is Saint Bernardino of Siena (dedicatee of the painting’s
original location, the church of San Bernardino in Urbino), and then Saint Jerome. On the other side of
Mary, the line-up of saints continues with Saint Francis in his monk’s robe and displaying the wounds of
his stigmata. Then there is Saint Peter of Verona, and finally Saint Andrew, one of Jesus’ apostles.
Kneeling at the front, is Federico III da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, who is thought to have
commissioned the painting to celebrate the birth of his son. He is wearing a full suit of armour, generally
considered to represent his devotion to the preservation of his faith. Touchingly, he has removed his
armoured gloves and placed them on the floor, in order to pledge his devotion with a prayer.The
characters' clothes, the angels' jewells, Federico's armor and the oriental carpet beneath the feet of the
Virgin are depicted in great detail, an unusually detailed section for an Italian Renaissance painting,
which may reflect the influence of Early Netherlandish artists. Notice how Mary’s deep blue robe is the
most dominant colour in the whole setting, a resounding shade that anchors the composition with her at
the centre. The Child wears a necklace of deep red coral beads, a color which alludes to blood, a symbol
of life and death, but also to the redemption brought by Christ. In antiquity, coral was thought to be the
hardened blood of Medusa, the monstrous Gorgon who turned to stone all those who looked at her. Her
blood was given the property of being able to fend off evil; the adoption of the myth into Christian belief
transformed the blood of Christ as protection against Satan. At the very top of the painting, is an ostrich
egg hanging from a chain, in front of a scallop shell. The purpose of the shell is thought to make a subtle reference to the Greek goddess Aphrodite and her Roman
counterpart Venus, the goddess of Love and Beauty. Aphrodite-Venus had been depicted within a scallop shell since at least the 4th century BC. The suggestion made
here is that Mary is the new Venus, the renewed goddess of sacred Love. The egg must be taken as a suitable symbol for conception and birth, a giver of life. Moreover,
the ostrich was one of the heraldic symbols of the Montefeltro family, making the ostrich egg even more fitting. A possible real-life source for the presence of the egg
in a church setting is the fact that ostrich eggs, along with other similarly rare things — bones, elephant teeth, and whale ribs — were often hung inside religious
buildings to arouse admiration and ultimately draw people to church. Piero’s real achievement — and why it is easy to call this painting a masterpiece — is the elegant
blending of all the symbolic motifs into a harmonious and naturalistic whole.
“The Sistine Madonna” is quite an impressive canvas, created by Raphael Santi. The painting was commissioned in 1512 by Pope Julius II in honor of his uncle,
Pope Sixtus IV, as an altarpiece for the basilica church of the Benedictine Monastery of San Sisto
in Piacenza. The commission required that the painting depict both Saints Sixtus and Barbara. The
work was originally intended for the altar of the church of St. Sixtus II, and it is currently kept in
the Old Masters Gallery of Dresden. This work of religious art was the last of his Madonnas and one
of the last pictures he completed himself. This divine piece of Renaissance art features a harmonious
balanced design, practiced illusionism and church rhetoric. On the painting, Madonna is depicted in
the center holding Christ Child in her arms, looking a little sad, due to realizing the kind of sacrifice
she will have to make.and next to her are two saints worshipping her (St. Sixtus and St. Barbara).
Lower down to the left, Saint Sixtus humbly looks up to her while pointing outward to the faithful
congregation with his right hand. In this act of mediation between the heavenly Madonna and the
earthly plane of the viewer, he is joined by Saint Barbara standing opposite, who inspects the scene
with her downward gaze, sorrowful eyes down to the ground where Jesus would later be crucified.
Positioned in the usual triangular arrangement, they are standing on a bed of clouds, looking down
upon the church congregation which would be assembled below. The three main figures - The
Virgin, Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara Madonna - inhabit an imaginary space, framed by heavy
curtains which have been opened to reveal the heavenly scene. To the left, the Papal tiara of the
former Pope Sixtus I rests on the frame of the painting, acting as a sort of bridge between the real
and pictorial space. At the bottom of the picture, two angels are pictured resting on their elbows
while gazing distractedly at the three figures above them. The angels of this type are known as putti
and are commonly conflated with and erroneously referred to as cherubim. The image of these putti
has inspired legends of their own. According to legend, when Raphael was painting the Madonna,
the children of his model would come in to watch. Struck by watching the children’s posture and
faces, he added them to the painting as he watched them. Another story claims that Raphael was
inspired by the children he encountered on the street when he saw them looking wistfully into a
baker’s shop window. Aside from the clever illusionism of the work, it exemplifies several other
aspects of Raphael's unique skill as one of the finest High Renaissance artists. First, the layout of
the figures is exceptionally balanced. Unified by gestures and poses, the trio enjoy a completely
harmonious pictorial relationship, while happily occupying their own individual space. Second, the facial proportions of the Virgin, the Christ Child, Saint Barbara
and the famous putti, are calculated to produce aesthetic looks. Third, the realistic perspective, or 'depth' which he creates in the painting, partly through the intrusion
of the putti into the real space of the viewer, and partly through the triangular arrangement of the figures. An unusual thing is that Raphael used canvas for this
painting, although he preferred wooden boards. No one succeeded in finding out the reason for this choice of the artist, but they said that it was originally painted
with the expectation that it would be subsequently moved.
Pallione della Peste (Pallione of the Plague) or Pallione del Voto, created in 1630 and today
also in the Bolognese Pinacoteca Nazionale.The structure of the painting follows the formal
arrangement, exemplified by a late 16th-century canvas by Annibale Carraci in the Pinacoteca
of Bologna. The Madonna and child are in the superior portion. The infant blesses with his
right hand, while the left hand holds a flowering sprig. Around the couple, cherubim are active
draping flowers, holding rosaries and scapulars, and crowning the Virgin with a floral crown.
In the scene below, the seven saints implore for Bologna, depicted at the bottom center. Charles
Borromeo at the left was known for his work among the pestilent of Milan. Beside him standing
is St Proculus of Bologna, a martyred Roman soldier, holding a sword and palm leaf (symbol
of Martyrdom). Across the canvas, the armored St Florian holds a halberd and palm leaf.
Kneeling below are: St Petronius with a bishop's mitre at his feet; St Francis in a cassock, and
to the right are two Jesuit saints, Francis Xavier with the palm leaf pointing to him, and the
founder of the order St Ignatius of Loyola. St. Dominic kneeling with the lily of purity on the
right. Complex details are given attention, such as weapons. The size of the characters in this
piece of art deviates from Renaissance conventions. Though slightly scaled down, the Virgin
is still the focus of the picture. The picture shows that the subject matter was approached
emotionally The style recalls the earthy coloring of Ludovico Carracci.
http://www.travelingintuscany.com/art/pierodellafrancesca/montefeltroltarpiece.htm

https://medium.com/thinksheet/why-does-this-painting-show-an-ostrich-egg-hanging-from-the-ceiling-7095f15476e5

https://joyofmuseums.com/artists-index/raphael/sistine-madonna/

https://art-stop.com/italian-painting/84-painting-the-sistine-madonna-raphael-meaning-and-analysis.html

http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/sistine-madonna.htm