Pope Julius II commissioned this altarpiece for the monastery church of San Sisto in Piacenza. Parted green curtains reveal the Virgin standing on clouds with the Christ Child, between Pope Sixtus II and Saint Barbara, against a sky of faint angel faces. Bought for Dresden in 1754, it became a cult image for German writers from Goethe to Nietzsche.
Look closer
At the bottom edge, two winged putti lean on their elbows and gaze upward. Lifted out of the picture, they have been reproduced on stamps, postcards and wrapping paper.
Looks like this
Compared by a vision model
