Raphael - The Sistine Madonna: The Angels

The last of Raphael's Madonnas to be completed by his own hands, the Sistine Madonna was painted around 1513-1514. The painting is believed to have been commissioned by the Benedictine monks of the Monastery of Saint Sixtus in Piacenza while they were visiting Julius II who was celebrating the departure of the French army from Italy. Raphael was commissioned to paint the altarpiece of the high altar of the Church of Saint Sixtus.

In 1754, the painting was sold to Augustus III of Saxony, who exhibited it in his collection in Dresden. The original in the church was then replaced by a copy by Giuseppe Nogari. After the Second World War, the painting was taken with other paintings from the museum as war booty to Moscow, where it remained until 1955. In the spring of 1955, the Soviet authorities agreed to return the paintings, and exhibited them free of charge to the public for 90 days before returning them to Dresden.

The Sistine Madonna, 1513 - 1514
Gemäldegalerie Old Masters, Dresde