Madonna of the milk in glory

This Madonna of the Milk in Glory, from around 1475, now in the Pinacoteca di Brera, is an early work showing Signorelli developing his distinctive approach to the human figure under the influence of his master Piero della Francesca and the Florentine tradition of anatomical study Luca Signorelli's mastery of the male nude in violent action directly preceded and influenced Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, earning him an enduring place in Renaissance art history.

The Virgin nursing the Christ child is presented in a celestial setting with angelic attendants. The early work already shows Signorelli's interest in solid, three-dimensional figure modeling that would become his hallmark.