The Madonna of Santa Maria Nuova by Verrocchio

At the National Museum of the Bargello the only work in terracotta of the great artist

The Madonna and Child, better known as the Madonna of Santa Maria Nuova from the name of the place where it was found at the beginning of the 19th century and now conserved at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, is the only terracotta, with traces of polychromy and gilding, made by Verrocchio. It stands out for its refined composition, for the narrative delicacy entrusted to maternal gestures and technical perfection in shaping the material. The work, datable to around 1475, is a tangible example of the manual perfection achieved by Renaissance workshops. In fact, while reproducing a devotional model widespread in Florentine art, it is characterized by the union of several assembled parts: the hands of the Madonna, the hand of the Child in the act of blessing, the legs and feet are shaped independently and then placed in the right position, with particular attention to highlight the different planes that create different depths and light variations, accentuating both the religious message and the plasticity of the material.