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Who are the figures surrounding Mary and Jesus in the Sistine Madonna?
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Raphael
The Grand Duke's Madonna, oil painting by Raphael, 1505; in the Pitti Palace, Florence.
In the Sistine Madonna by Raphael, the figures surrounding the Virgin and the Christ child are St. Sixtus II and St. Barbara.1
- St. Sixtus II: Positioned on the left, he is depicted in humble reverence with his papal tiara resting on the edge of the painting. He was included primarily because he was the patron saint of the Della Rovere family, to which Pope Julius II—the painting's commissioner—belonged.1
- St. Barbara: Located on the right, she is shown looking downward toward the two famous winged putti at the bottom of the composition.1