Sposalizio della Vergine

The large panel was the main feature of an altarpiece that was originally completed by a cymatium, two roundels now lost and a predella [16.2]. A masterpiece by the artist from Romagna, it demonstrates his move towards a mature classicism, partly due to his staying abreast of the art of Raphael. In fact, it is likely that Cotignola was familiar with the made by Marco Dente and Marcantonio Raimondi of Raphael’s inventions, which by then were widely circulated, but also that he had stayed in Roma between 1520 and 1522.