Artwork

Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Angels

Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Angels is a tempera painting by the Early Renaissance artist Matteo di Giovanni. It dates from 1468 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

Inscription: Inscribed:upper center on the Madonna's halo: AVE.GRATIA PLENA.DO[MINVS TECVM] (Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; from Luke 1:28)

About this work

The Virgin's halo carries the inscription AVE GRATIA PLENA, placing this small devotional panel in Sienese workshop practice of the 1460s.

The Virgin's halo carries the inscription AVE GRATIA PLENA, placing this small devotional panel in Sienese workshop practice of the 1460s. Painted by Matteo di Giovanni on a poplar panel just 66 by 44 centimeters, it gathers the Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and angels into a compressed sacred conversation. It came to the National Gallery of Art in 1939 through the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.

History & Provenance

The painting is dated to 1468 and attributed to the Sienese master Matteo di Giovanni. Its early history is not documented; the first recorded owner was George Ashburnham, 3rd Earl of Ashburnham (1760–1830), who acquired it possibly in Florence. The work descended through the Ashburnham family, to his son Bertram, 4th Earl (1797–1878); then to the 5th Earl (1840–1913); and finally to the 5th Earl's daughter, Lady Mary Catherine Charlotte Ashburnham (d. 1953).

In 1919 the painting was sold through the dealer Robert Langton Douglas to Duveen Brothers, Inc. Duveen sold it in 1922 to Clarence H. Mackay of Roslyn, New York; it later re-entered Duveen's stock before being sold in 1938 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. The Kress Foundation gifted the work to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1939, where it remains as part of the Samuel H. Kress Collection. No specific commission or patron is recorded, and no exhibition history is documented in the available sources.

Overview

Matteo di Giovanni's Madonna and Child with Saint Jerome, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Angels, created around 1465-1470, is an intimate devotional panel. This tempera painting on poplar wood exemplifies the Sienese school's artistic principles from the Quattrocento. It presents a sacred gathering, featuring the Virgin Mary and Christ Child flanked by two prominent saints and attended by celestial figures. The work reflects the artist's adherence to regional artistic conventions, emphasizing spiritual grace and decorative elegance.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child. To her left stands Saint Jerome, identifiable by his cardinal's robes, while Saint Catherine of Alexandria, traditionally shown with a wheel or sword, appears on her right. Above the holy figures, two angels hover, placing a crown upon the group.

The Virgin's gold-ground halo is inscribed with the Latin phrase "AVE.GRATIA PLENA.DOMINVS TECVM," the opening words of the angelic salutation from the Gospel of Luke.

Technique & Style

Executed in tempera on a poplar panel, a standard medium and support for Sienese painting during the 15th century, this work illustrates Matteo di Giovanni's stylistic approach. The artist trained within a conservative Sienese tradition that prioritized linear refinement and decorative surface qualities. This aesthetic diverged from the naturalistic experiments prevalent in Florentine art of the same period, instead maintaining a focus on elegant compositions and a spiritualized depiction of forms.