This small painting on copper, created around 1640 for private devotion, belongs to the mature period of Albani’s career. It portrays a traditional sacra conversazione: the Madonna sits on a throne of clouds holding the Christ Child on her lap, who blesses the viewer while resting his hand on a globe—symbol of divine glory. On either side are pairs of angels, and above them a crown of cherubs completes the celestial vision. Saints Jerome and Francis appear with different expressions: Francis, with arms open, turns to the Madonna in devotion, while Jerome translates the Bible into Latin with a lion—his traditional attribute—at his side.
