The Basilica of the Servants of Mary

The Bordone Madonna

The oldest art work demonstrating the tie between the church of the Servites and the Virgin Mary is the Virgin and Child known as the Bordone Madonna (now in the second chapel on the right) painted by the Florentine artist Coppo di Marcovaldo in 1261. Coppo was taken prisoner at the Battle of Montaperti on 4 September 1260, won by the Sienese against the Florentines. On the eve of battle, the men of Siena assembled in the cathedral in front of a painting of The Virgin and Child to ask Mary for help. Coppo di Marcovaldo was required to paint the Virgin and Child as his ransom to be set free.
The work was initially placed on the high altar of the new church, obeying the Servite rule that not only the church but also the altar be dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The painting was later moved to its current place to make room for The Coronation of the Virgin painted in 1500 by Bernardino Fungai.
At least two different origins have been proposed for the name “Bordone Madonna.” Some link it to the bordone, a particular kind of pilgrim staff; others to the surname of the Bordoni family, who were patrons in the sixteenth century of the chapel where the painting is currently located. The Virgin shows her Son to the world, while he gives a blessing with one hand and holds a red scroll, the color that symbolizes his future Passion, in the other. The Passion is foreshadowed also in Our Lady’s sad face, even though this was repainted in the early fourteenth century, as was that of the Child.
The work reflects the influence of the Byzantine style, characterized by an abundance of gold decorations, as can be seen in the highlights on the clothing of the Virgin and Child and in the gold background. The gold symbolizes the arrival of a new light illuminating the darkness, and the richness of the clothing evokes the splendor of Christ’s arrival in the world.