Artwork
Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych]
![Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych], by Agnolo Gaddi, tempera, 1387](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--madonna-and-child-with-saints-andrew-benedict-bernard-and-ca--93a6585f38530738-w1024.webp)
Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych] is a tempera painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Agnolo Gaddi. It dates from 1387 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:left panel, across the bottom below the saints: S. ANDREAS AP[OSTO]L[U]S; S. BENEDICTUS ABBAS; left panel, on the book held by St. Benedict: AUSCU / LTA.O/ FILI.PR / ECEPTA / .MAGIS / [T]RI.ET.IN / CLINA.AUREM / CORDIS.T / UI[ET]A[D]MONITIONE / M.PII.PA / TRIS.LI / BENTE / R.EXCIP / E.ET.EF[FICACITER COMPLE] (Harken, O son, to the precepts of the master and incline the ear of your heart and willingly receive the admonition of the pious father and efficiently);[1] middle panel, across the bottom: AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA DOMINUS [TECUM] (Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; from Luke 1:28); middle panel, on the book held by the Redeemer in the gable: EGO SUM / A[ET] O PRINCI / PIU[M] [ET] FINIS / EGO SUM VI / A. VERITAS / [ET] VITA (I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, I am the way, the truth, and the life; from John 14:6; Revelations 22:13); right panel, across the bottom under the saints: S. BERNARDUS DOCTOR; S. K[A]TERINA VIRGO
About this work
Subject & Meaning
This connection suggests the work functioned as a devotional object commissioned by or for the Alberti, reflecting their familial piety and status.
The triptych depicts the Virgin and Child enthroned, flanked by four saints: Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria. The inclusion of these specific figures carries significant iconographic weight, as three of the saints are historically associated with the Alberti family, who were patrons of the Church of San Miniato al Monte in Florence. This connection suggests the work functioned as a devotional object commissioned by or for the Alberti, reflecting their familial piety and status.
The presence of Saint Benedict and Saint Bernard further emphasizes monastic devotion, while Saint Catherine represents learning and martyrdom. The composition, likely intended for a sacristy setting, integrates these holy figures with angels to create a unified vision of celestial intercession and spiritual protection for the patrons.
Technique & Style
Agnolo Gaddi executed this triptych shortly before 1387 using tempera on a poplar panel support. As a religious work classified as a painting, the piece adheres to the traditional materials and methods characteristic of late fourteenth-century Florentine art. The medium consists of pigment bound in egg tempera applied to the wooden substrate, a standard technique for altarpieces of this era intended for liturgical display.
The work is structured as a triptych, a multi-paneled format that allows for a complex arrangement of the central Madonna and Child flanked by saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria. This formal organization reflects the devotional needs of its likely original location in the sacristy of San Miniato al Monte in Florence.
History & Provenance
The altarpiece was executed shortly before 1387, likely for the Alberti family, prominent patrons of the Florentine church of San Miniato al Monte. Its original placement was probably the sacristy of that church, as suggested by stylistic and documentary evidence.
The work remained in the church until after 1830, when it was removed and entered the collection of the Ashburnham family, beginning with the 4th Earl of Ashburnham.
It subsequently passed by inheritance to his son, then to his daughter, and was exhibited in London through the agency of Robert Langton Douglas. In 1919 Duveen Brothers acquired it, and in 1936 it was sold to the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, which gifted the piece to the National Gallery of Art in 1937.
The triptych is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of the Andrew W. Mellon collection. Its provenance traces from the sacristy of San Miniato al Monte in Florence, where it likely remained until shortly after 1830, through the Ashburnham family estate in Sussex. Following acquisition by Robert Langton Douglas and the Duveen Brothers, the work was sold to the A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust in December 1936 and gifted to the museum the following year.
While specific inventory numbers are not detailed in the available records, the work entered the national collection officially in 1937. The provided sources do not list specific past exhibitions or loan history for this artwork.
Overview
This triptych, painted by Agnolo Gaddi in 1387, is titled "Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels." Executed in tempera on poplar panel, it presents a devotional scene. The artwork centers on the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus, flanked by various saints and accompanied by angelic figures. Its composition and medium are characteristic of late 14th-century Italian religious art.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Agnolo Gaddi (c.1350–1396) was an Italian painter. He was born and died in Florence, and was the son of the painter Taddeo Gaddi, who was himself the major pupil of the Florentine master Giotto. Agnolo was a painter…
![Saint Bernard and Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Virgin of the Annunciation [right panel], by Agnolo Gaddi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--saint-bernard-and-saint-catherine-of-alexandria-with-the-vir--710fc1ea417a9916-w320.webp)
Saint Bernard and Saint Catherine of Alexandria with the Virgin of the Annunciation [right panel]![Saint Andrew and Saint Benedict with the Archangel Gabriel [left panel], by Agnolo Gaddi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--saint-andrew-and-saint-benedict-with-the-archangel-gabriel-l--ddd94720dea7e794-w320.webp)
Saint Andrew and Saint Benedict with the Archangel Gabriel [left panel]![Madonna and Child Enthroned with Twelve Angels, and with the Blessing Christ [middle panel], by Agnolo Gaddi](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/agnolo-gaddi--madonna-and-child-enthroned-with-twelve-angels-and-with-the--f99a5efe37ce8dda-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Twelve Angels, and with the Blessing Christ [middle panel]
The Coronation of the Virgin with Six Angels
Triptych
Madonna with the child, St. John the Baptist, St. Francis and St. Anthony and a martyr
- Madonna and Child Enthroned with Angels and Saints
![Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Mary Magdalene and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych], by Pietro Lorenzetti](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/pietro-lorenzetti--madonna-and-child-with-the-blessing-christ-and-saints-mary-m--f78e415f61769b64-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Mary Magdalene and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych]
Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels
Madonna and Child with saints![Madonna and Child, with Saints Peter and John the Evangelist, and Man of Sorrows [entire triptych], by Nardo di Cione](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/nardo-di-cione--madonna-and-child-with-saints-peter-and-john-the-evangelist--a57f261be4c5dd48-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child, with Saints Peter and John the Evangelist, and Man of Sorrows [entire triptych]![Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Peter, James Major, Anthony Abbott, and a Deacon Saint [entire triptych], by Martino di Bartolomeo](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/martino-di-bartolomeo--madonna-and-child-with-the-blessing-christ-and-saints-peter--2c53e26d577a363b-w320.webp)
Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Peter, James Major, Anthony Abbott, and a Deacon Saint [entire triptych]