The Alba Madonna by Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) Detail of the watercolour by Edward Hau Full size image
		The Holy Women at the Sepulchre Annibale Carracci Full size image

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This is one of the six cabinets used for small-size pictures that formed part of the Hermitage's very rich collection of Italian painting. Presented here are the works of artists belonging to the Florentine, Bolognese, Venetian and Milanese schools, chiefly from the first half of the 16th century. The eye is drawn to three works by Raphael: the Madonna and Child with John the Baptist or Alba Madonna, a tondo in a magnificent frame, bought by Nicholas I in 1836, St George, acquired by Catherine II in 1772 as part of the Crozat collection, and the Madonna with a Beardless Joseph. (Only the last is still in the Hermitage; the other two are now in the National Gallery, Washington.) The harmonious perfection and exalted images in the compositions of the Renaissance artists are well matched by the majestic beauty of The Three Marys at the Sepulchre created by Annibale Carracci, the head of the 17th-century Bolognese Academy.

Edward Hau

The Cabinet of the Italian Schools.1860

Watercolour