Sistine Madonna Socks

Originally intended location of the painting. It was meant to be placed behind a choir screen, facing a crucifix attached to the screen. The Virgin and infant Jesus would gaze out onto the crucifixion, with the Virgin witnessing the torture and eventual death that would befall her Child, and with infant Jesus looking into his own future at the hands of Roman soldiers. It is to this scene of the crucifixion that St. Sixtus also points to and not to us, the viewer. With all of this taken into consideration, the frightened and saddened expressions are now understood. Almost like a lesson in the perilous nature of gazing into one’s future. The two picturesque, winged angels, known as putti or cherubim, resting on their elbows and admiring the three individuals above them are another noteworthy aspect of this painting.