Picture Gallery - Madonna with a Veil

In the second room of the gallery there is an exceptional panel painting by Sebastiano del Piombo - Madonna with a Veil. The painting is among the few surviving works from Bishop Karl von Lichtenstein-Castelcorno's collection and even in his time it ranked among the top items in the entire collection.

The author of the painting, the Italian Renaissance painter Sebastiano Luciani, known as del Piombo, lived between 1485 and 1547. He came from Venice, and after being relocated to Rome he was heavily impressed by the art of Raphael and Michelangelo. The Olomouc painting is one of his best works.

The meditative motif of Christ's mother watching her sleeping son has a deeper significance. The seemingly idyllic theme in itself conceals the image of the future mourning over Christ's dead body. It is also indicated by the goldfinch, held by the sleeping Jesus in his left hand. The red spot on the bird’s head, according to legend, was caused by a drop of Christ's blood on Golgotha.