Madonna and Child with Three Members of the St. Augustine Order: Saints Augustine, Nicholas and Clara

1404

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Madonna and Child with Three Members of the St. Augustine Order: Saints Augustine, Nicholas and Clara is a 1404 by Unknown, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown
When & what style?: 1404 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This image shows a faded religious scene with a glowing, sun-like face at the top holding a baby. Below, two robed figures stand—one holds a tall staff, the other a round plate. A third figure kneels, and a small bird flies nearby. Angels with wings float above, and the whole scene looks like it’s carved or drawn with simple lines. The figures wear robes and halos, suggesting they’re saints. The sun-like face is likely the Virgin Mary with the Christ child, a common theme in religious art. The style is flat and symbolic, not realistic. Look up Renaissance to see how this style connects to bigger art history.