Fra Filippo Lippi's Scandalous Madonna and Child with Two Angels
Fra Filippo Lippi's Madonna and Child with Two Angels (ca. 1460-1465, Uffizi, Florence) is a Renaissance painting that conceals a personal scandal: the Virgin Mary was modeled by Lucrezia Buti, a nun Lippi abducted, and the foreground angel by their son Filippino Lippi. Lippi, a Carmelite monk and priest, flouted his vows, engaging in a relationship with Buti, fathering two illegitimate children, and even dabbling in forgery and embezzlement. He was saved from jail by patron Cosimo de' Medici, who valued artistic merit over criminal activity. The painting blends sacred and profane, depicting Mary as a contemporary Florentine noblewoman and Jesus as a real baby, set against a Leonardesque landscape. This work exemplifies the fusion of Renaissance ideals with human vice.
Key facts
- Fra Filippo Lippi painted Madonna and Child with Two Angels around 1460-1465.
- The painting is housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
- Lucrezia Buti, a nun, modeled for the Virgin Mary.
- Lippi abducted Buti and she became his mistress.
- Their son Filippino Lippi modeled for the foreground angel.
- Lippi was a Carmelite monk and priest ordained in 1434.
- He was saved from jail by patron Cosimo de' Medici.
- The painting depicts a domestic scene with a window overlooking the Arno River Valley.
Entities
Artists
- Fra Filippo Lippi
- Filippino Lippi
- Lucrezia Buti
- Lorenzo Ghiberti
- Masaccio
- Fra Angelico
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Cosimo de' Medici
Institutions
- Uffizi
- Galleria degli Uffizi
- Carmelite order
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Prato
- Arno River Valley