Who painted The Small Cowper Madonna?

The Small Cowper Madonna was painted by Raphael in c. 1505.

Where can I see The Small Cowper Madonna?

The Small Cowper Madonna is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is The Small Cowper Madonna?

The Small Cowper Madonna is associated with High Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of The Small Cowper Madonna?

Museum-quality prints of The Small Cowper Madonna are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

The Small Cowper Madonna by Raphael (c. 1505)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

In the background, an Italian countryside includes a church widely identified as San Bernardino in Urbino, the mausoleum of the della Rovere dukes.

The painting depicts the Virgin Mary seated on a wooden bench, holding the Christ Child, who embraces her and smiles coyly. Mary wears a red dress with a blue mantle, and both figures have faint golden halos. In the background, an Italian countryside includes a church widely identified as San Bernardino in Urbino, the mausoleum of the della Rovere dukes.

The reddish hair of both figures may allude to Maria della Rovere, suggesting a connection to that family. The presence of the church and the family’s burial site indicates the work was likely a private commission for della Rovere, intended for devotional and legitimization purposes, representing both maternal tenderness and dynastic piety.

Technique & Style

Raphael executed The Small Cowper Madonna in oil on panel, measuring 59.5 × 44 cm. The composition reflects the influence of his teacher Perugino, while the softly modulated color transitions and atmospheric, azure-distance landscape reveal Leonardo da Vinci's impact. The Madonna, seated on a wooden bench before a stone parapet, wears a vivid red dress with a blue, green-lined mantle; sheer drapery and fine golden halos encircle her head. The Christ Child stands on her lap, embracing her.

Infrared reflectography has disclosed a wall beneath the figure of Mary, indicating an earlier compositional stage. The painting underwent cleaning, restoration, and technical examination at the National Gallery in 1981.

History & Provenance

The Small Cowper Madonna, dated to around 1504–1505, was likely a private commission, possibly for the della Rovere family of Urbino, as suggested by the depiction of the San Bernardino church, the burial site of the Dukes of Urbino. The painting's early history is undocumented, possibly due to the destruction of Urbino's court records. In about 1780, it was sold in Florence to George Nassau Clavering-Cowper, 3rd Earl Cowper, the namesake of the work.

It remained in the Cowper family for six generations, passing through inheritance until 1913, when Lady Ethel Desborough sold it to Duveen Brothers. The following year, it was acquired by American industrialist Peter A.B. Widener, and later donated to the National Gallery of Art in 1942 by his son Joseph E. Widener.

The Small Cowper Madonna is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It was accessioned in 1942 as a gift from Joseph E. Widener. Its exhibition history includes the Art Treasures Exhibition in Manchester in 1857. In 2015, the National Gallery of Art loaned the painting to the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts for an exhibition alongside The Northbrook Madonna, which aimed to identify the artist of that work.

Context

The Small Cowper Madonna is unanimously attributed to Raphael and is considered a pivotal work of his Florentine period (circa 1504–1505). Scholarship consistently notes that while the composition retains the influence of his teacher Perugino, Raphael incorporated Leonardesque elements such as soft color transitions and an atmospheric, azure-toned landscape, distinguishing his treatment of the Madonna and Child. The church in the background is widely identified as San Bernardino in Urbino, prompting suggestions that the della Rovere family commissioned the painting for devotional and dynastic purposes.

Technical studies, including infrared reflectography, have revealed pentimenti (e.g., a wall behind Mary) that illuminate Raphael's creative process. The painting is one of approximately seventeen Madonna and Child works from this period and has been the subject of specialized analyses, such as David Alan Brown's 1983 study of its technique and Leonardesque sources. Its place within Raphael's early career reflects his synthesis of High Renaissance ideals.

Overview

The Small Cowper Madonna, an oil on panel painting by the Italian High Renaissance artist Raphael, dates to approximately 1504–1505. This work portrays the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, set within a tranquil Italian landscape. It represents an early example of Raphael's devotional paintings, capturing a tender interaction between mother and son during his formative years in Florence.