Artwork
Madonna and Child with Nine Angels
Madonna and Child with Nine Angels is a tempera painting by the Sienese School artist Segna di Bonaventura. It dates from 1315 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ, accompanied by nine angels, in a conventional Madonna and Child composition typical of early 14th‑century religious art; the work is classified as a religious painting and was created in 1315 using tempera on panel; its main subject is the Madonna and Child, a central iconographic motif signifying divine motherhood and heavenly intercession, as recorded in the documented description of the piece; the composition reflects the devotional focus on the sacred relationship between Mary and Jesus within the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
Technique & Style
The composition presents the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, flanked by nine angels, a program typical of religious art of the period.
The work titled Madonna and Child with Nine Angels, executed by Segna di Bonaventura in 1315, is a tempera painting on wood panel. Its dimensions measure 38.1 cm in height by 27 cm in width, placing it within the early‑Italian Renaissance tradition of devotional imagery. The composition presents the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, flanked by nine angels, a program typical of religious art of the period.
The painting’s formal qualities include a flattened spatial arrangement, delicate modeling of figures, and a restrained palette of earth tones accentuated by gold leaf highlights typical of tempera on panel. It resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, having entered the collection through the Robert Lehman bequest.
History & Provenance
Created by Segna di Bonaventura in 1315, the painting Madonna and Child with Nine Angels is a tempera work on panel measuring 38.1 by 27 centimeters. The artwork depicts the Virgin Mary, the Christ Child, and nine angels, falling within the religious art genre. Historically, the piece was owned by Robert Lehman before entering the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While the specific commission details are not recorded in the available data, the work's inception is firmly dated to 1315. The painting remains part of the museum's holdings, where it is identified by its creator and its primary religious subject matter.
Madonna and Child with Nine Angels, a tempera panel painted by Segna di Bonaventura around 1315, is housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work is part of the Robert Lehman collection and is listed in the museum's catalog without a publicly disclosed accession number. Available records do not detail any specific exhibition history for the piece beyond its inclusion in the museum's permanent holdings as documented in the sources.
Overview
Segna di Bonaventura, an artist associated with the Sienese School, completed Madonna and Child with Nine Angels around 1315. This tempera painting features the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, encircled by nine angelic figures. The work exemplifies the Sienese tradition of early 14th-century panel painting, characterized by its detailed execution and decorative aesthetic. It is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Context
Segna di Bonaventura was an active painter within the Sienese School during the early 14th century, a period when Siena was a significant center for artistic innovation in Italy. He contributed to the established tradition of panel painting, creating works that often served devotional purposes. His artistic legacy extended through his sons, Niccolò di Segna and Francesco di Segna di Bonaventura, who also pursued careers as painters, continuing the family's engagement with the Sienese artistic heritage.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Segna di Bonaventura, also known as Segna de Bonaventura, and as Segna di Buonaventura, was an Italian painter of the Sienese School.
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