The Museum of the Madonna del Parto in Monterchi preserves the splendid fresco by Piero della Francesca, one of the most famous of the artist from Arezzo and one of the highest expressions of the Renaissance.
The work, which was originally located in the chapel of Santa Maria di Momentana in Monterchi, is shrouded in mystery, both for the choice of the site where it was frescoed, a place once chosen for the devotion of divine figures protecting fertility, and for the patronage still unknown today: a masterpiece, unique of its kind, which could be the master himself.
The Virgin is represented pregnant, at the centre of a curtain opened by two angels. She is wearing a simple blue robe with openings that allow a glimpse of the white petticoat, the symbol of her purity. With one hand she caresses her belly, a gesture of protection at the same time as a proud ostentation of the miracle taking place. The other hand is resting on her side. The curtain that welcomes the scene is decorated with pomegranate flowers, evocative of the future passion of Christ.
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