The Sistine Madonna, 1513 Raffaello Sanzio Raphael (1483-1520)

We create our paintings with museum quality and covering the highest academic standards. Once we get your order, it will be entirely hand-painted with oil on canvas. All the materials we use are the highest level, being totally artist graded painting materials and linen canvas.

We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of Raffaello Sanzio Raphael also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

In case the delivery date needs to be extended in time, or we are overloaded with requests, there will be an email sent to you sharing the new timelines of production and delivery.

TOPofART wants to remind you to keep patient, in order to get you the highest quality, being our mission to fulfill your expectations.

We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

You can stretch and frame your painting in your local frame-shop.

Once the painting The Sistine Madonna is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

We offer free shipping as well as paid express transportation services.

After adding your artwork to the shopping cart, you will be able to check the delivery price using the Estimate Shipping and Tax tool.

The paintings we create are only of museum quality. Our academy graduated artists will never allow a compromise in the quality and detail of the ordered painting. TOPofART do not work, and will never allow ourselves to work with low quality studios from the Far East. We are based in Europe, and quality is our highest priority.

In "The Sistine Madonna," Raphael brings the divine down to earth, yet somehow keeps it suspended between realms. The Virgin Mary stands atop a bed of clouds, holding the Christ child with a graceful dignity that anchors the entire composition. Her gaze, direct yet filled with a quiet sorrow, seems to pierce the viewer. You can feel the weight of what she knows - the child in her arms will be the savior, but at a tremendous cost. The Christ child, too, holds an almost unnatural calm, his tiny hand raised in a gesture that hints at his future role.

Raphael’s use of color is extraordinary. The deep blue of Mary's robe radiates with an otherworldly brilliance, contrasting with the soft golden tones of Saint Sixtus and Saint Barbara, who kneel in veneration at either side. Saint Sixtus leans forward, almost stepping out of the painting, his eyes fixed on Mary as he gestures toward the world below. Saint Barbara, in contrast, turns her gaze inward, lost in quiet contemplation. These two figures, positioned on either side of the central pair, balance the composition, their differing expressions adding emotional depth.

The curtains, drawn back as if revealing a sacred moment, frame the scene with theatrical grandeur. And then, of course, there are the cherubs at the bottom - those iconic figures of childhood innocence. They lean on the edge of the painting, staring upward with a mix of curiosity and patience, as if they too are awaiting something profound. Their presence adds a touch of humanity to this celestial vision.

Raphael’s brushwork is delicate yet sure, the transitions between light and shadow masterfully handled. The whole painting feels luminous, as though bathed in a light that is not of this world. "The Sistine Madonna" is a work of profound serenity, yet it is charged with a quiet tension - a vision of heaven touched by the gravity of what is to come.