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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileThe Virgin Mary is seated on the right, holding the Christ Child who reaches out toward Saint Joseph. Joseph kneels on the left, leaning on a traveler's staff and offering a small sprig of flowers or fruit to the child. The scene is framed within a tondo (circular format) and features a prominent palm tree against a distant mountainous horizon.
The use of the tondo format reflects the Renaissance philosophical preoccupation with the circle as a symbol of divine perfection and cosmic order. While primarily a devotional scene, the palm tree functions as a multifaceted symbol in Western thought, representing both the biblical 'Tree of Life' and the Neoplatonic ideal of the soul's victory over the material world.
LA VIERGE AUX PALMIERS. RAPHAEL SANZIO PINXT. TIRÉ DE LA GALERIE DE LORD FRANCIS EGERTON. ACHILLE MARTINET DELINEAVIT & SCULPSIT.
Translation
The Virgin of the Palm Trees. Painted by Raphael Sanzio. From the gallery of Lord Francis Egerton. Drawn and engraved by Achille Martinet.
Marsilio Ficino
Raphael’s visual harmony and use of geometric forms like the tondo embody the Neoplatonic aesthetic principles of divine beauty championed by Ficino.
Object
Oil on panel
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Library of Congress Catalog: https://lccn.loc.gov/2015647804 Image download: https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/pga/07400/07443v.jpg Original url: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2015647804/
857 × 1024 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.