Finding Hidden Symbols in the Brera Madonna by Piero Della Francesca
Renaissance painting at its best
What is immediately gripping about the Brera Madonna, painted by Piero della Francesca around 1474, is the elegant sense of space the artist has created.
The illusion is of an architectural apse, a small chapel with columns on either side and capped by an archway. The light is crisp, the architecture flawless.
At the back of the apse — the semi-circular recess that completes the chapel — is an upturned scallop shell. And hanging from this scallop shell is an ostrich egg.
Notice how the shadow of the archway falls across the shell, thereby providing a perfect backdrop to the illuminated egg.
Why a scallop shell? And why an ostrich egg?
Before we answer these questions, we need to understand what’s going on in the wider image.
The Virgin Mary is sat on a throne in the centre with Christ asleep on her lap, surrounded by saints. In fact, the line-up of figures includes six saints, four angels, and kneeling at the front, the donor for the painting, Federico III…
