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Madonna and Child

1370s
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 601

This independent panel of the Madonna nursing her child is among the masterpieces of fourteenth-century Sienese painting. It characterizes a common maternal activity as an icon of devotion. Although the frontal pose seems to harken back to an earlier period, the panel is painted with Fei’s special feeling for decorative richness and technical refinement. The engaged frame is original, as are the gold-backed glass medallions with images of the Annunciation, saints, and the head of Christ on the Virgin’s brooch. Their richness evokes the materiality of enamel and other tactile objects, and their presence reveals a range of technical skill and craft that may indicate collaboration with another artist.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madonna and Child
  • Artist: Paolo di Giovanni Fei (Italian, San Quirico, active by 1369–died 1411)
  • Date: 1370s
  • Medium: Tempera on wood, gold ground
  • Dimensions: Overall, with engaged frame, 34 1/4 x 23 1/4 in. (87 x 59.1 cm); painted surface 27 x 16 7/8 in. (68.6 x 42.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of George Blumenthal, 1941
  • Object Number: 41.190.13
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Peter, Saint Agnes, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Lucy, an Unidentified Female Saint, Saint Paul, and Saint John the Baptist, with Eve and the Serpent; the Annunciation, Paolo di Giovanni Fei Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Peter, Saint Agnes, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Saint Lucy, an Unidentified Female Saint, Saint Paul, and Saint John the Baptist, with Eve and the Serpent; the Annunciation
Paolo di Giovanni Fei
ca. 1385–90
Saint Anthony of Padua, Maso di Banco Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
Saint Anthony of Padua
Maso di Banco
ca. 1340
Madonna and Child with Donors, Giovanni da Milano Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
Madonna and Child with Donors
Giovanni da Milano
ca. 1365
Madonna and Child, Berlinghiero Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
Madonna and Child
Berlinghiero
possibly 1230s
The Adoration of the Magi, Giotto di Bondone Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
The Adoration of the Magi
Giotto di Bondone
possibly ca. 1320

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