The Sistine Madonna

Jakob Schlesinger made this tracing in 1822 of the Sistine Madonna by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael. Drawn in pencil, the tracing is formed of 24 pieces of paper pasted together and mounted on a canvas the same size as the painting. Schlesinger was a painter and picture restorer who was active in Dresden from 1820 to 1823, before moving to Berlin.In 1512 Raphael was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the Sistine Madonna as an altarpiece for the church of San Sisto in Piacenza. Flanked by Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara, the Virgin Mary stands on clouds as she holds the infant Christ. At the bottom of the picture, two winged cherubs rest their heads upon their arms. Completed in 1513, this was one of the last Madonnas that Raphael painted – he died aged only 37 – and was described by the historian Vasari as ‘a truly rare and extraordinary work'.Following its purchase for a record price in 1754 by Augustus III of Poland, the picture was relocated to Dresden, where it is now in the Gemäldegalerie. Judged by many at the time to be one of the world’s great paintings, it had a significant influence on German art, especially Romantic painting.