The Madonna Sewing

The fresco depicts an unusual image of a young Mary, with a large red dress and long loose hair held in place with a tiara.

She is bent over her lap, sewing the hem of a white cloth resting on a cushion.

At the bottom, there is a basket containing scissors and a white sheet.

The scene appears to be intimate and domestic, as indicated by the arches in the background, which are a reference to the Temple in which the Virgin Mary had worshipped since childhood.

However, the supernatural aspect is shown by the presence of two angels who are helping the Virgin Mary to sew.

The meaning of the scene is further clarified by the prophetic inscriptions on the scrolls held by cherubs depicted at the top of the fresco.

The first scroll bears the inscription “colui che la chiama la chiamò fin dal principio” (he who calls her, called her from the beginning) and refers to the divine plan of the predestination of Mary as mother of Christ.

The inscription on the other scroll, “la vergine concepirà e partorirà un figlio” (the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son), is part of the verse of Isaiah. The scrolls refer to Mary's Immaculate Conception, a topic that was strongly defended by Pope Paul V and connected to his devotion to the Virgin, an example of humility.

The fresco preludes the Annunciation depicted in the altarpiece and represents the last of the episodes of Mary's life illustrated on the semicircular walls of the chapel; it only reveals itself to visitors when they enter the presbytery and look to the left. The depicted subject and the location further inside indicate the private nature of the chapel commissioned by Paul V.


 It was completed between 1609 and 1611, when the Pope commissioned Reni with the task of decorating the chapel.