Artwork
La Madonna Del San Francesco
La Madonna Del San Francesco is a print by Peter Lutz. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
The work is an 1850 paper print entitled *La Madonna del San Francesco*, executed by Peter Lutz. It reproduces a composition originally painted by Correggio, which is part of the collection of the Dresden Gallery. The image presents a central female figure with an infant, surrounded by a small group of angels, monks and other attendants, arranged on a raised platform.
Subject & Meaning
Flanking her are two cherubic angels aloft, while two adult figures—one in monastic habit, the other in flowing secular dress—stand below.
At the centre stands a solemn woman, identified as the Madonna, cradling the Christ child. Flanking her are two cherubic angels aloft, while two adult figures—one in monastic habit, the other in flowing secular dress—stand below. A partially unclothed male figure leans against the platform, holding a cross, and two lower cherubs support a diminutive altar that contains a bird, suggesting a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit.
Technique & Style
Lutz translates Correggio’s painted composition into a print by employing pronounced linear definition and strong chiaroscuro. The contrast between illuminated areas and deep shadows heightens the three‑dimensionality of the figures, giving the scene a dramatic intensity that differs from the softer modeling of the original oil work.
History & Provenance
The original painting by Correggio resides in the Dresden Gallery, where it has been part of the museum’s holdings since the 18th century. Lutz’s 1850 print was produced as a reproduction for broader dissemination, reflecting the 19th‑century interest in making celebrated Renaissance images accessible to a wider audience.
Artist & collection
Artist
Peter Lutz spent his life hunched over a printmaker’s bench in Leipzig, turning Bible scenes into black-and-white riddles that fit on a postcard.
