The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 19, 2024

Virgin and Child Enthroned

Virgin and Child Enthroned

1419
(Italian, active 1393–1451)
Italy, Tuscany
tempera and gold on wood
Framed: 196.2 x 68.6 x 9.5 cm (77 1/4 x 27 x 3 3/4 in.); Unframed: 196.2 x 68.2 cm (77 1/4 x 26 7/8 in.); with original molding and pinnacle: 129 x 59 cm (50 13/16 x 23 1/4 in.)
Gift of the Hanna Fund 1954.834
Location: 117A Italian Renaissance

Description

Rather than depicting a single moment in time, this gold-ground painting symbolically encapsulates Christ. Seated on a rich throne, the monumental Virgin holds the Christ child. Above, the risen Christ is seen in heaven holding a book, inscribed with the alpha and omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, signifying Christ’s role as the beginning and end of all things. The Latin inscription states: "This painting was made for Antonio di Domenicho Giugni for the repose of his soul, the year of our Lord 1419." In the 1300s, Italian painting focused on the heavenly aspects of Christian faith in order to convey abstract religious concepts. Depicted as specimens of formal beauty, sacred figures were placed against an ethereal gold background. Within a hundred years, artists began to highlight the earthly aspects of sacred figures, placing them within naturalistic landscapes. In this newer style of painting, the approachability of sacred figures fostered devotion among the faithful.
  • The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 399 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 61 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 61 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of Paintings. Pt. 1. European Paintings before 1500. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Reproduced: fig. 33, p. 89 - 91; fig. 33b, p. 91
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 68 archive.org
    Strinati, Claudio, and Frank Dabell. The Madonna: Eternal Woman. 2019, 62-63. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 62-63
  • The Art of Devotion: Panel Painting in Early Renaissance Italy. Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury, VT (organizer) (September 17-December 13, 2009); Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, MA (February 9-May 31, 2010).
    Middlebury College Museum of Art, Middlebury, VT (9/17/2009 - 12/13/2009) and Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, MA (2/9/2010 - 5/31/2010): "The Art of Devotion: Panel Painting in Early Renaissance Italy" exh. cat. no. 11, p. 96-97.
    Fra Angelico. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (October 24, 2005-January 30, 2006).
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (10/24/2005 - 1/30/2006): "Fra Angelico"
    Florence and the Arts: Five Centuries of Patronage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 13-September 19, 1971).
    In Memoriam: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr.. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 4-April 7, 1958).
  • {{cite web|title=Virgin and Child Enthroned|url=false|author=Battista di Biagio Sanguigni|year=1419|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1954.834