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Madonna and Child with Saints

1454
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 601

This multipanel altarpiece (polyptych) was painted to decorate a chapel in a church belonging to the Augustinian order, possibly in Cortona. Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, canonized in 1446, appears on the far right wearing the Augustinian habit. The altarpiece would have been completed with five pinnacles showing the evangelists and Christ, a base (predella) showing the history of Saint John the Baptist, and pilasters with small figures of saints. The highly stylized figures and gold background mimic an older artistic approach, indicating Giovanni’s preference for the work of his great fourteenth-century forebears.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madonna and Child with Saints
  • Artist: Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) (Italian, Siena 1398–1482 Siena)
  • Date: 1454
  • Medium: Tempera on wood, gold ground
  • Dimensions: Central panel 82 3/4 x 25 7/8 in. (210.2 x 65.7 cm); left panels 70 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. (180 x 42.9 cm), 70 7/8 x 16 3/4 in. (180 x 42.5 cm); right panels 70 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. (180 x 42.9 cm), 70 7/8 x 16 3/4 in. (180 x 42.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
  • Object Number: 32.100.76
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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5197. Madonna and Child with Saints

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More Artwork

More Artwork
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Saint Ambrose, Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
Saint Ambrose
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
1465–70
Saint Catherine of Siena Beseeching Christ to Resuscitate Her Mother, Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
Saint Catherine of Siena Beseeching Christ to Resuscitate Her Mother
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
ca. 1447–65
The Blessed Ambrogio Sansedoni (1220–1286), Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
The Blessed Ambrogio Sansedoni (1220–1286)
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
1447–65
The Exultation of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
The Exultation of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
ca. 1450
The Annunciation to Zacharias; (verso) The Angel of the Annunciation, Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia) Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
The Annunciation to Zacharias; (verso) The Angel of the Annunciation
Giovanni di Paolo (Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia)
ca. 1455–60

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