Madonna with the Child Enthroned (detail)
by TURA, Cosmè, Oil on wood, 239 x 102 cm
The central panel of the Roverella altarpiece is startling in its combination of sculptural intensity with unexpected colour combinations. The usually neutral Renaissance architectural elements, for example, here alternate between green and pink, while the shell above the Virgin’s throne is surprisingly fluid in design. At the top of the throne, statues of the symbols of the four evangelists join winged putti and cornucopias from which dangle bunches of grapes.