Who painted The Sistine Madonna?

• A. Raphael
• B. Michelangelo
• C. da Vinci
• D. Botticelli

Answer: (A)

The painting embodies the High Renaissance emphasis on harmony, clarity, and balanced beauty, all hallmarks of Raphael’s work. The composition is arranged in a stable pyramid: Mary sits at the center with the Child in her arms, flanked by two saints, while two angels rest at the bottom, guiding the viewer’s gaze upward to the holy figures. This calm, orderly layout, combined with refined, gentle modeling of the figures and a luminous, harmonious palette, is distinctly Raphael. The subject and setting—Mary with Jesus, surrounded by reverent saints—fits Raphael’s serene religious ideal rather than the more dramatic or mythic themes associated with other masters. The Sistine Madonna was painted for the church of San Sisto in Piacenza, which is why it bears that name; its enduring fame in Dresden has helped cement Raphael’s attribution.