This design of the Virgin & Child was one of the most popular in 15th-century Florence. The production of such pictures appears to have been the raison d'etre of one or more Florentine workshops in the 15th century. ...

The Virgin is seated on a throne, with Saint Francis (identified by his stigmata) presenting a lay donor, & Saint Bernardino (whose facial type was standardised in painting of the period), on either side. Behind the Virgin's throne are four angels. Saint Bartholomew is shown in the right panel with his attribute of a flaying knife, by which he was martyred. Saint John the Baptist on the left holds a glass staff with a cross. His scroll is inscribed with a"ation from the Gospel of Saint John (1: 29, 36): "" Behold the Lamb of God"" in abbreviated Latin. This text appears frequently in paintings of the Baptist & alludes to his biblical role as the ""forerunner of Christ"". The painting was previously attributed to Fiorenzo di Lorenzo. It is now attributed to Caporali on account of its closeness in style to a triptych in Perugia, documented as Caporali's work & dated 1475. The central panel is a reworking of a picture by Niccolò di Liberatore dated 1457 (Deruta, Pinacoteca). ...

The Virgin, crowned as the Queen of Heaven, holds the Christ Child who raises his hand in blessing. They are surrounded by six angels. This small devotional altarpiece is unusual because of the secular nature of the angels's costumes, which were of a type fashionable in Florence in the 1420s. In the past, this painting has been ascribed to a number of minor Florentine & Sienese artists, but it is now linked on grounds of style with the work of Francesco d' Antonio di Bartolomeo. A strip of pastiglia (an Italian term meaning raised patterns made from gesso), has been fixed to the bottom of the modern frame in the position of a predella. This

Includes:: three painted quatrefoils showing the Virgin, the Dead Christ & Saint John.

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This type of composition showing the Virgin & Child enthroned is known as a Maestà (from the word 'majesty'). It was a popular design with Sienese painters. The painter takes his name from a fresco in Casole d' Elsa, near Siena, painted in about 1317. This Maestà may have been painted around the same time. The painting has been drastically cut at the base, probably because it was damaged. Originally the angels were full length. ...

The saints are from left to right: Mark, Peter Martyr, Thomas Aquinas, Dominic, Luke; & to the right of the figures of the Virgin & Child: John the Evangelist, Gregory, Catherine of Alexandria, the Magdalen, & a bishop with a book (perhaps Thomas à Becket). The painting is associated with the Dominican Church of S. Maria Novella in Florence because of the artist's links with this church & the choice of saints, some of whom are Dominican, & all of whom had altars dedicated to them in the church. ...

The wall enclosing the Virgin & Child may be meant to suggest the 'hortus conclusus' or enclosed garden of the Old Testament (Song of Solomon 4:12), an image much favoured in litanies of the Virgin Mary. This picture is related to early compositions by B ...

Round paintings (tondi) were popular in Renaissance Florence. This one has a precariously balanced composition
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The Virgin & Child are shown in a marble niche or throne. Two angels look on from behind. The pilasters have Corinthian capitals. It has been suggested that the picture, which is dated 1461, was painted in Bologna where the artist settled in about 1459.A ...

Curtains have been parted to reveal the Virgin & Child & two angels. One of the angels holds a lily, a traditional symbol of the Virgin's purity. The panel has been cut down, probably on all sides. Both Leonardo & Perugino began their careers worki ...

The Virgin is seated before a cloth of honour. The angels look on from behind a curtain. The Virgin holds a spray of red carnations, a symbol of the death of Christ; the infant Christ takes one from her. His nakedness emphasises his humanity. In the past t ...