Madonna in Glory

Amico Aspertini painted this Madonna in Glory around 1520, depicting the Virgin enthroned in heaven surrounded by angels and saints in the format of a devotional altarpiece for a Bolognese church or private patron. Aspertini was one of the most idiosyncratic Bolognese painters of the period, his eclectic style combining influences from Mantegna, Perugino, and the classical sculptural reliefs he obsessively sketched during his Roman visits. His figures have a mannered elegance and compositional originality that sets him apart from the more orthodox Bolognese tradition represented by Francia. The Madonna in Glory type—Mary elevated above the earthly realm, accessible to prayer from below—was a standard altarpiece formula that Aspertini inflected with his characteristic personal vision.

The panel demonstrates the artistic techniques characteristic of early sixteenth-century painting, with the careful rendering and color harmonies typical of the period's production.