Artwork
Madonna and Child with St Lawrence and St Jerome and Two Angels Making Music
Madonna and Child with St Lawrence and St Jerome and Two Angels Making Music is an unspecified painting by the Early Renaissance artist Francesco Francia. It dates from 1500 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Currently held in the Hermitage Museum, the piece presents a formal arrangement of sacred figures typical of Francia's style during this period.
Created by Francesco Francia in 1500, this work is an oil painting executed on a panel support. The composition depicts the Madonna and Child alongside Saint Lawrence, Saint Jerome, and two angels engaged in music, adhering to the religious genre conventions of early 16th-century Italy. The painting measures 193 cm in height and 151 cm in width.
Currently held in the Hermitage Museum, the piece presents a formal arrangement of sacred figures typical of Francia's style during this period.
History & Provenance
The painting Madonna and Child with St Lawrence and St Jerome and Two Angels Making Music was created by Francesco Francia in Italy in 1500. This religious work, depicting the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, Saint Lawrence, Saint Jerome, and two musical angels, measures 193 cm in height and 151 cm in width. The artwork is currently held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
The painting is held in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Its inventory/accession number is ЭРЖ-2793.
It was exhibited at the exhibition “Italian Art of the XV–XVI Centuries in the Hermitage” held at the Hermitage in 1955.
Context
The painting was created by Francesco Francia in 1500 and is housed in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. It depicts the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ, Saint Jerome, Saint Lawrence, and two angels engaged in musical activity. The work belongs to the religious painting genre and exemplifies early 16th-century devotional art in Italy.
Scholarly attention focuses on its intricate composition and the blend of sacred narrative with musical elements, reflecting Renaissance innovations in sacred imagery.
Francesca's broader oeuvre includes numerous altarpieces and portraits that shaped Emilian painting, establishing him as a key transitional figure between devotional traditions and emerging secular themes in Italian Renaissance art.
Overview
Created in 1500 by the Bolognese artist Francesco Francia, this early Renaissance panel presents a devotional tableau centered on the Virgin and Child. The composition includes two saints and a pair of angels, all arranged within a gently receding landscape. The work is part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection, exemplifying the period’s balanced harmony and spiritual calm.
Subject & Meaning
At the heart of the scene the Virgin holds the infant Christ, embodying maternal tenderness. Flanking them, Saint Lawrence and Saint Jerome stand with books, symbolizing martyrdom and scholarly piety respectively. Kneeling at the base, two angels perform music, suggesting heavenly praise. The collective gaze upward reinforces a unified act of reverence toward the divine.
Artist & collection
Artist
Francesco Francia, whose real name was Francesco Raibolini (1447 – 5 January 1517), was an Italian painter, goldsmith, and medallist from Bologna, who was also director of the city mint.
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