Coronation of the Virgin
Sandro Botticelli·1490
Historical Context
This Coronation of the Virgin from circa 1490 at the Uffizi depicts Mary being crowned Queen of Heaven in the ultimate Marian apotheosis, with saints watching below in a composition that separates the earthly and celestial zones. Commissioned for the Florentine church of San Marco—the Dominican convent where Fra Angelico had painted his celebrated frescoes—the altarpiece carried institutional and theological weight appropriate to the Dominicans who later housed Savonarola. Botticelli executed the commission in his mature period, the celestial zone's gold ground and figure arrangement reflecting the conservative requirements of liturgical painting while the saints below show his characteristic elegance. The work remained in San Marco until its transfer to the Uffizi.
Technical Analysis
The celestial scene is arranged in a hierarchical composition of remarkable complexity, the golden heaven filled with dancing angels whose flowing forms demonstrate Botticelli's supreme mastery of rhythmic linear design.
