The Sistine Madonna
between 1512 and 1513
Raphael pulls back heavy green curtains to reveal the Virgin Mary floating on a sea of clouds, holding a surprisingly serious-looking baby Jesus. Flanked by a pope and a kneeling saint, the scene feels like a grand theatrical reveal. But let's be honest, the real stars of the show are those two grumpy, chin-resting cherubs at the bottom, whose pouty expressions have been plastered on everything from coffee mugs to t-shirts for centuries. Painted for a monastery in Piacenza, this High Renaissance masterpiece eventually found its forever home in a German museum, where it famously survived World War II hidden in a tunnel.
Location: Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden
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