Madonna of Foligno

A votive altarpiece: the donor Sigismondo de' Conti kneels at right, thanking the Virgin for surviving a lightning strike (visible in the background, hitting his house in Foligno). A cherub in the center holds a blank tablet — likely the original inscription has been lost. The Virgin sits in a golden mandorla of clouds and cherub-heads; her intimate downward gaze at the donor makes the miracle personal.