Madonna and Child Enthroned with Four Angels, the Archangels Michael and Raphael, and St. Gusto and St. Zenobius 1485

Domenico Ghirlandaio painted this panel of Madonna and Child Enthroned with Four Angels, the Archangels Michael and Raphael, and St. Gusto and St. Zenobius in Florence. Here, we see the Virgin Mary as the Queen of Heaven, a motif traceable to ancient goddesses. But note the two kneeling saints, Gusto and Zenobius, at the bottom. Their presence anchors the divine in earthly Florence, connecting the sacred with the city’s identity. Consider the angel Raphael on the right, offering a glass orb. The orb, a symbol of divine light and knowledge, echoes in countless artworks across centuries. Yet, its meaning shifts. In earlier Byzantine mosaics, it represents the cosmos controlled by Christ. Here, it reflects a humanist interest in classical motifs while retaining spiritual depth. These symbols tap into our collective memory, resonating with our deepest emotions, reminding us that even in a rapidly changing world, some images endure, evolving yet eternally familiar. They resurface across time, speaking to our shared human experience.