Raphael Sanzio, Madonna of the Oak (panel, option 1)

Description

Leaning on a classical ruin, St. Joseph looks with an absorbed expression at the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child in her lap. Jesus, in turn who is playing with St. John, receives from him  a scroll with the words Ecce Agnus Dei.  Jesus seems to understand the significance of that message, pointing it out to his mother with a smile, as a sign of acceptance of his destiny. Giovanni, on whom the typical attribute of hermit fur can be observed, rests one foot on the cradle of rushes full of pillows and soft sheets, with vivid material effects. The figures in this way are arranged  diagonally rather than in the traditional pyramid shape. The landscape surrounding the characters is reminiscent of that of the Tiber, the oak behind the main group gives the work its name and separates the figures from the landscape in the background. In Christian doctrine, it symbolizes the tree of life and also means salvation. The cross of Jesus Christ was built with its wood and, starting from the Middle Ages, the iconography of the Madonna della Quercia spread.