Vintage 14 1/2 x 12” - “Madonna retailer and Child” by Botticelli - on gilt wood

This vintage icon recreates Botticelli's
classic work, showing the Virgin Mary and Jesus on a 23 carat gold leaf gilt wood background.

Known also as the Madonna of the Book, this painting represents the Virgin and Child in a domestic setting, intent on reading a volume, perhaps a Book of Hours.

The various fruits in the bowl have a symbolic meaning, the cherries allude to the blood of Christ, the plums to the love between Mother retailer and Child, the figs to the Salvation or the Resurrection. The nails and the crown of thorns (perhaps not original) evoke the Passion of Christ.
Dating from about 1480, the painting shows all the elements of the Botticelli's mature poetic: a delicate, elegant linearity, a style which is still far from the intense pathos of his late work.

The icon is in good condition, with some wear consistent with age. See photos as part of description.