Madonna and Child with Two Angels 

Curator: Here we see Sandro Botticelli’s "Madonna and Child with Two Angels," currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, like much of Botticelli’s output, utilizes tempera as its primary medium for painting. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is its circular form, it feels so intimate and contained. It's almost like gazing through a porthole into this tender scene, the Madonna looks very concerned as she holds her son, I wonder what’s going through her mind? Curator: That circular composition, or tondo, became quite popular in Florence during the 15th century. There is something incredibly evocative in Madonna’s gaze downwards towards the child, juxtaposed with the youthful angels, gazing outwards. The image conveys a wealth of possible interpretations relating to divine love and human concern. I always find myself thinking about what this picture has witnessed over the years and its place within a much larger narrative. Editor: Thinking materially, I am drawn to that rich tempera paint that would have demanded so much skill and time in the crafting of this panel. The texture on the painting appears smooth which would demand layer after layer of pigment in its making, that commitment of skilled labor elevates a piece of wood into something sublime and timeless. What can be gleaned about this time and its labor practices can tell us so much about Botticelli as a professional. Curator: Absolutely. And think about the cultural significance imbued into these representations of motherhood. The Madonna is presented not just as a woman, but as the embodiment of divine grace and a powerful figure of intercession and mediation for believers in Botticelli's time. She becomes a vessel of sorts through which one accesses the sacred. Editor: You're right. And her clothing – those reds and blues and how those have been applied as tempera, would have been immensely significant culturally due to pigment scarcity, suggesting luxury through raw materiality and the craftsmanship behind its construction, all intended to express something both earthly and of deep faith. Curator: Precisely. The painting's symbolic vocabulary – from the landscape in the background to the precise placement of the figures – adds depth to its meaning. We can never know the true nature of what these signs meant, however they do offer clues as to the work’s social function as well as offering pathways for meaningful and compelling interpretations. Editor: Ultimately, the making and material conditions through which such images as "Madonna and Child with Two Angels" existed gives us an idea about what has survived over the years to retain meaning within cultural history. Curator: I couldn't agree more. This picture encourages contemplation as much now as, perhaps, it did when the paint was first drying.