Northbrook Madonna
The Virgin and Child, known as The Northbrook Madonna, is an oil painting on a wood panel from the early 1500s, probably around 1505. The artist is unknown, though some scholars think Domenico Alfani of Umbria, a contemporary and friend of Raphael, may have designed or helped execute it, or it may be the work of Raphael’s student or a collaboration typical of his circle. The painting measures 107 cm by 77 cm (42 in by 30 in).
It is in the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. The work takes its name from the Northbrook Collection in England and was donated to the Worcester Art Museum in 1940. It was once attributed to Raphael, but that attribution has since been rejected, and there is no consensus on the painter.
Description: The Madonna wears a red blouse and a dark blue skirt. She and the infant have fair skin and light red‑orange hair. The background shows a green landscape receding into blue mountains beneath a blue sky, with a brown structure on the right.
In 2015 the painting was exhibited with Raphael’s Small Cowper Madonna to explore its origins and the spread of Raphael’s early style in Central Italy. In 2019 a painting that closely resembled the Northbrook Madonna appeared at auction and sold for about $2 million.
As of 2021 the museum said the painter was possibly Domenico Alfani of Umbria, a contemporary of Raphael who studied with Perugino; Alfani’s work has sometimes been misattributed to Raphael.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:24 (CET).