By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
On Aug. 11, at 10:30 a.m., the Unitarian Universalist Church of North Hatley will host a special lecture by esteemed local art historian Adele Ernstrom. Ernstrom, a retired Fine Arts professor from Bishop’s University and a member of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Sherbrooke & District, will present her insights on “Raphael’s Sistine Madonna: Art and Prophecy in the 19th Century.”
Ernstrom, who founded the Department of Fine Arts at Bishop’s University in the late 1970s, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this presentation. Her primary field of study has been 19th-century English art, but she has developed a profound appreciation for the Renaissance, especially the works of Raphael.
In an interview with the Record July 22, Ernstrom shared her excitement about discussing Raphael’s iconic painting. “Raphael was always highly respected and had an enormous reputation, but the Sistine Madonna, commissioned for a church in Piacenza, was initially rather obscure,” she explained. “People who wanted to see art on the continent, particularly the English nobility, typically went to Florence, Rome, or Venice, rather than this out-of-the-way monastery church.”
The painting’s journey to fame began when Augustus III, King of Poland, acquired it for his gallery in Dresden. “This acquisition was a prize for his gallery in Dresden, which, at the time, was a princely gallery in what is now East Germany,” Ernstrom noted. “It became a prime attraction there, especially at the end of the 18th century when the Romantic Circle, including figures like the Schlegel brothers and Friedrich Schelling, began to take an interest in it.”
Ernstrom highlighted how the Romantic Circle’s interest in fine art brought attention to Raphael’s painting. “This group considered knowledge of fine art crucial, and they drew attention to the Sistine Madonna within the German-speaking lands,” she said. “However, it remained relatively unknown among English-speaking audiences because few ventured into that part of Europe, and even fewer spoke German.”
