Description
Alba Madonna is notable for showing Mary sitting on the ground next to a tree stump. This follows the lesser-known tradition in Christian art known as the "Virgin of Humility", in which images of the Virgin show her sitting on the ground or on a low cushion, indicating her humility.
Raphael worked especially hard to organize the three figures into a harmonious group, using their line of sight to form an intimate and rhythmic unit. He also learned from the artists around him. John the Baptist's upward gaze, for example, was a common technique in Urbino paintings, where Raphael first trained under the artist Perugino.