The conservation of Girolamo Campagna’s Madonna and Child and the Altar of the Vergine del Rosario has been sponsored by Arnold M. Bernstein

Set within the niche of the Altar of the Vergine del Rosario—a refined example of late 16th-century architecture articulated by two pairs of columns and framed by superimposed arches—this Madonna and Child with Two Angels is the work of the Veronese sculptor Girolamo Campagna and was likely carved between 1585 and 1588. The sculpture was commissioned by Andrea Dolfin, Procurator of San Marco de supra, from whom it takes its traditional name, the Dolfin Madonna .

Campagna presents the Virgin standing while the Christ Child rests securely in her arms, creating a natural and intimate exchange between mother and son. The sculptor carefully calibrates Mary’s posture: the Child’s weight presses gently on her left hip, while her right leg bends in a graceful contrapposto. This poised stance closely recalls Campagna’s allegorical figure of Peace in the Room of the Four Doors in the Palazzo Ducale—an ensemble whose ceiling, doors, and crowning sculptures were recently restored by Save Venice.

At the Virgin’s feet, two lively angels play and take shelter beneath the folds of her mantle, adding movement and tenderness to the group. The iconography Campagna adopts appears to draw on the traditional representation of Charity: a woman holding and nurturing an infant while two additional children stand at her feet and cling to her garments. Campagna likely absorbed this model from Jacopo Sansovino, who employed it on several occasions, including in his Charity for the Funerary Monument of Doge Francesco Venier in the very same Church San Salvador—another project restored by Save Venice.

Campagna studied the pose of this sculptural group with great care, likely through preparatory drawings and certainly through clay modeling. This is confirmed by a small terracotta model of the Virgin and Child with Angels and the Infant Saint John the Baptist now in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The model is attributed to Campagna on stylistic grounds, particularly in comparison with his stucco Sibyl Eritrea and Sibyl Cumana created for the church of San Sebastiano (also restored by Save Venice). Notably, the back of the Getty terracotta is unfinished, indicating that it was conceived as a preparatory model for a sculpture destined for a niche, rather than a freestanding work meant to be viewed in the round. One significant difference between the terracotta model and the finished marble sculpture is the absence of the Infant Saint John in the latter. Scholars continue to debate this point: some believe Andrea Dolfin may have altered his wishes during the commission, while others suggest that the model may have been originally created for a different project and later adapted for the Dolfin Madonna.

On March 25, 2026—the feast of the Annunciation and the Incarnation of Christ—the Altar of the Vergine del Rosario and Campagna’s sculpture will be the focus of a solemn and celebratory ceremony. During a High Mass, both the Virgin and the Christ Child will be crowned with two silver crowns specially blessed in Rome by Pope Leo XIV. This ritual will honor the sculpture’s spiritual significance and reaffirm its enduring role as an object of devotion for the Venetian community.

The sculpture and altar are currently affected by widespread surface deposits, including accumulated dust, atmospheric grime, and localized areas of black crusts formed by pollution and environmental exposure. These alteration layers obscure the legibility of the original carved surfaces, diminishing the material and aesthetic qualities of the marble. Conservation treatment involves a controlled cleaning process to remove these deposits in a gradual and selective manner. Where necessary, treatment will also be complemented by the desalination of specific areas of the stonework to reduce the concentration of soluble salts that could otherwise contribute to further deterioration or surface instability over time.

Girolamo Campagna (1549/50 – 1625)
Madonna and Child with Two Angels (Dolfin Madonna)
1585-1588, marble

Unidentified Artist
Altar of the Vergine del Rosario
1585-1588, marble
860 x 440 cm

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