Study of a head for the painting Madonna of the Spindle

The Madonna of the Spindle is one of the most lyrical Czech paintings of the 19th century. This work, the first of a number of Tkadlík’s charming depictions of the Virgin Mary, stands out above the rest thanks to its intimate atmosphere. The motif of the spindle went beyond the definition of standard Marian iconography, as it was based on non-canonical stories of Mary’s.