Madonna and Child with Saints
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
- 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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