Raphael painted The Madonna of the Goldfinch, also called Madonna del Cardellino, around 1505–1506.
The painting shows the Virgin Mary with the young Jesus and John the Baptist. John offers Jesus a goldfinch, a bird traditionally associated with the Passion because of a later Christian legend about the bird taking a thorn from Christ’s crown.
Raphael created the work in Florence, where he absorbed ideas from Leonardo and Michelangelo while developing his own balanced, gentle compositions. The pyramidal arrangement of the three figures became a hallmark of his Madonna paintings.
The picture was badly damaged in the 16th century when its wooden support split. It was restored and is now held by the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. “Goldfinch” identifies the bird, while “cardellino” is the Italian title.