Fotoreproductie van een prent naar een schilderij, voorstellende de Madonna met de stoel before 1863

This photogravure is a reproduction of Raphael’s “Madonna della Seggiola,” made by Negretti and Zambra. The original painting, completed around 1514, is an idealized image of motherhood, one that has become a touchstone within Western art. Here, Mary is depicted as an Italian peasant woman, embracing the infant Christ. John the Baptist looks on. We might consider how the formal pose creates an intimate, yet idealized, relationship. As a photograph, the artwork takes on a new significance. Consider the rise of photography in the 19th century, and how it democratized images, making art accessible to a wider audience. The black and white medium changes how we see and interpret this work. This reproduction asks us to consider the layered meanings that accrue as an image is translated across different mediums and eras. What does it mean to reproduce the representation of a mother?