This paper will analyze the painting Madonna and Child with Adoring Angel (c. 1468), by Sandro Filipepi Botticelli. The work consists of tempera paint on panel and it stands at 35 x 26-3/4 inches. The subject matter of the painting shows Mary affectionately holding the baby Jesus while a nearby angel looks on. The context of the work is the early Italian Renaissance. In contrast to the strictly religious themes of the medieval period, the early Renaissance was a time when humanism was becoming increasingly important in painting. In addition, the early Renaissance saw the development of increased naturalism in terms of pictorial style.
Botticelli was born in about 1444 or 1445 and he died in 1510. He was a Florentine painter who is closely associated with the patronage of the Medici family. The Madonna and Child with Adoring Angel is an early work from Botticelli's career. As such, it can be seen that Botticelli's purpose in creating the work was to experiment with the new elements of Renaissance art which were developing at the time. Salvini has noted that the early Madonnas painted by Botticelli show the progress of the artist in "developing greater formal beauty and restudying problems in form" (All the Paintings 16). In this regard, Botticelli's early paintings show the influence of such contemporaries as Verrocchio and Antonio Pollaiuolo, as well as his teacher, Fra Filippo Lippi. However, Botticelli did not simply copy the style of these other early Renaissance masters. Steinmann has indicated that Botticelli's early Madonnas clearly reveal "the process of the painter's gradual emancipation from alien influences" (8). Thus, Botticelli's early experimentations in painting led to the development of his own unique approach to Renaissance art. Although the influences of his contemporaries can be seen, the progression of Botticelli's work shows that "his stylistic connections with other artists became increasingly va...