Artwork
Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, Dominic and a Donor
Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, Dominic and a Donor is an unspecified painting by the Byzantine icon painting artist Ugolino di Nerio. It dates from 1330 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The inclusion of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers, suggests a specific devotional context or patronage linked to the Dominican order.
This religious panel painting presents a sacred assembly centered on the Virgin Mary enthroned with the Christ Child. Flanking the central figures are five specific intercessors: the apostles Peter and Paul, John the Baptist, and Saint Dominic, alongside an unidentified donor figure. The inclusion of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers, suggests a specific devotional context or patronage linked to the Dominican order.
By grouping these major saints with a lay donor, the work visually articulates the medieval belief in the communion of saints, offering the patron a tangible connection to divine figures for spiritual mediation.
History & Provenance
The panel was created by Ugolino di Nerio in 1330, as recorded in both the corpus entry and the Wikidata record for the work. It is now held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is catalogued under the attribution to Ugolino di Nerio. The sources provide no further information about the circumstances of its commission, the identity of the donor depicted, or the chain of ownership that brought it into the museum's collection.
No earlier provenance, patron, or intermediate owners are documented in the available records.
The painting is held at the Art Institute of Chicago. Its accession number is 1937.1052, assigned upon its acquisition in 1937.
It has been included in the museum’s permanent collection displays, including the 2009 reinstallation of its early Italian galleries, which contextualized works from the Trecento such as this panel within the broader framework of Sienese painting of the period.
Overview
Created circa 1330, this panel by the Sienese painter Ugolino di Nerio presents the Virgin enthroned with the Christ Child, flanked by a group of saints and a kneeling donor. The central figures dominate a richly decorated throne, while the surrounding saints, Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, and Dominic, form a solemn procession that directs the viewer’s attention toward the sacred duo.
Technique & Style
Ugolino follows the Byzantine visual language inherited from his teacher Duccio, employing a gold‑leaf background and flattened spatial treatment. Figures are rendered with stylized drapery, bright pigments, and linear outlines, while the gold trim on the Virgin’s blue robe and the red throne’s gilded edges highlight the work’s ornamental emphasis.
Context
The painting belongs to a tradition of altarpieces intended for private chapels or churches, where patrons commissioned images that combined personal piety with public display of status. By integrating a donor figure among the saints, the work reflects contemporary notions of patronage and the intertwining of earthly and divine realms.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Ugolino di Nerio (1280? – 1349) was an Italian painter active in his native city of Siena and in Florence between the years 1317 and 1327. He was a follower of Duccio di Buoninsegna, from whose Maestà some of his…
Virgin and Child Enthroned with Saints Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, and Dominic and a Dominican Supplicant
Madonna and Child Enthroned with Four Saints
Madonna with the child, St. John the Baptist, St. Francis and St. Anthony and a martyr
Madonna and Child with SS. John the Evangelist,John the Baptist, James of Compostela and Nicholas of Bari
Madonna and Child with Nine Angels
Altarpiece of the Virgin Suckling the Child, Saint Clare and Saint Anthony the Abbott
Madonna and Child with the Annunciation and the Nativity
Virgin and Child
Virgin and Saints
Madonna of Humility
Madonna and Child Enthroned- The Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors