Raphael’s Small Cowper Madonna Coming to WAM

Friday, January 23, 2015

GoLocal Worcester Lifestyle Team

Beginning on Saturday, Raphael’s The Small Cowper Madonna will be on view at the Worcester Art Museum. Raphael’s Cowper Madonna is one of the most significant Renaissance paintings in America and is on loan from Washington’s National Gallery of Art.

The Small Cowper Madonna will be exhibited along with WAM’s own Northbrook Madonna. The Northbrook became part of WAM’s collection in 1940 as a Raphael. However, since that time it has been discarded as such.

The exhibition will explore Raphael’s early style and his influence in Central Italy. The Small Cowper Madonna was painted when Raphael traveled from Urbino to Florence and is the beginning of the series of Madonnas that Raphael painted.

The Cowper Madonna will be on view until September 27. On Thursday February 19, Raphael scholar Linda Wolk-Simon will discuss The Small Cowper Madonna as part of WAM’s ‘Master Series.’