The composition of this Madonna and Child derives from a sculptural group by Luca della Robbia and thus testifies to an exchange of ideas between Luca and Lippi. The picture dates about 1448–50 and signals Lippi's interest in recovering the sacred, gilt world of medieval painting by introducing the motif of a tooled gold cloth suspended in front of a rectangular niche. Originally, the glazed shadows were more evident. Although the delicate figure types and emphasis on gilt embellishment may seem anachronistic for an artist who had gone further than any other in exploring a naturalistic idiom, they are in keeping with the prevailing courtly taste in Florence.

cat. no. 6