Artwork
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints is a tempera painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Taddeo Gaddi. It dates from 1340 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The primary subjects are the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, who are presented in an enthroned configuration, signifying their royal and divine status.
The artwork depicts the Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints, a composition central to religious art of the period. The primary subjects are the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, who are presented in an enthroned configuration, signifying their royal and divine status. Created by Taddeo Gaddi in 1340, the painting utilizes tempera on panel to render these sacred figures.
While the specific identities of the accompanying saints are not detailed in the available records, the inclusion of multiple holy figures alongside the central pair reinforces the work's function as a devotional image intended to inspire veneration. The genre is firmly established as religious, reflecting the theological importance of the Incarnation and the intercessory role of the saints within the Christian tradition.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1340 by Taddeo Gaddi, this religious work is a tempera painting on a wooden panel. The composition features the Madonna and Child as its central subjects, rendered in a style characteristic of mid-fourteenth-century Italian devotional art. The panel measures approximately 110 centimeters in height and 42.5 centimeters in width, creating a tall, narrow format typical for altarpiece wings or small shrine pieces of the period.
While specific details regarding the current surface condition or the artist's brush handling are not detailed in the available records, the use of tempera on panel establishes the fundamental material construction of the piece. The work's classification as a painting within the religious genre underscores its function and visual language, focusing on the sacred figures of Mary and the Christ Child through the durable and luminous qualities of egg tempera.
History & Provenance
Created by Taddeo Gaddi around 1340, Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints is a tempera painting on panel depicting the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child surrounded by saints within a religious genre. Measuring 109.9 cm in height by 42.5 cm in width, it is part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. No specific accession number is disclosed in the available records, and the documentation does not detail a provenance or prior exhibition history beyond its acquisition by the museum.
Overview
Taddeo Gaddi, a Florentine painter active in the 14th century, completed Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints in 1340. This tempera panel presents a central Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, flanked by four saints, all set against a luminous gold background. The composition reflects traditional devotional imagery, characterized by its formal arrangement and vibrant, yet unmodeled, colors. The work exemplifies the stylistic conventions of early Italian Renaissance painting, blending inherited traditions with nascent developments.
Context
Born in Florence around 1290, Taddeo Gaddi was a significant figure in the city's artistic development. He trained extensively in the workshop of Giotto from 1313 until his master's death in 1337, absorbing the foundational principles of early Florentine painting. Beyond panel painting, Gaddi was also an architect and mosaicist, contributing to various artistic projects.
His diverse practice and commercial activities, including a Venetian branch, underscore his multifaceted engagement with the cultural landscape of his era.
Artist & collection
Artist
Taddeo Gaddi (c. 1290 – 1366) was a medieval Italian painter and architect. He was born in Florence. He was the son of the painter Gaddo di Zanobi, called Gaddo Gaddi. He was a member of Giotto's workshop from 1313…
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Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints
Madonna and Child enthroned with Saints
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