Madonna Enthroned and Ten Saints 1522

Rosso Fiorentino painted this altarpiece around 1521 in the central Italian town of Volterra. The painting is a complex statement about the role of the church in a time of growing social unrest. The Madonna and child sit enthroned above a somewhat chaotic gathering of saints. The jumbled composition and intense colors clash with the dignified subject matter. Renaissance artists were patronized by the church and wealthy elites, yet they were also affected by popular anxieties about religious authority. In Germany, Martin Luther was busy challenging the church's corruption, and his ideas were spreading throughout Europe, including Italy. Florentino’s painting captures the period’s uncertainty. The saints look distracted and disengaged, as if they don't know what to believe. The theatrical composition feels unsettling. The image shows us the church hierarchy, but the effect is to undermine it. To understand this artwork, historians look to documents such as letters, diaries, and financial records. These allow us to understand the social context in which artists lived and worked, and how their work reflected the issues of their time.