Gentile da fabriano madonna
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It may be the center of an altarpiece, since the child turns as though to bless an unseen figure.
Madonna and Child with Angels
Although badly damaged, this picture is a rare work by one of the greatest painters of the early fifteenth century. Gentile was born in the town of Fabriano, in the Marches, but his work was in demand from Milan to Rome.
The presence of such an element has not been cleared, and it could be an exotic addition made without knowing the exact meaning of the original verse.
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The cloth of honour behind the Virgin is silver (now tarnished) glazed with red. The highly decorative nature of the variously patterned luxury textiles, the elaborately tooled gold, and the delicate nature of the figures contrast strongly with the same subject painted by Masaccio a year later. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards.
As Queen of Heaven, the Virgin is seated on a throne; the plants that have overgrown it allude to her humility (humus, the latin root of humble, means earth). He painted this work in Venice, where together with Pisanello he was engaged in the decoration of the Doges Palace. She is holding the Child on her knees, above a richly decorated gilt cloth.
The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. It was flanked by Saints Mary Magdalene, Nicholas of Bari, John the Baptist and George; the predella showed scenes from the Life of Saint Nicholas.
The Child holds what seems to be a daisy. The fine golden background, the rendering of the clothes and other technical detail link the panel to the artist's Florentine period, including works such as the Adoration of the Magi (1423) and (in particular for the posture of the Child) the Adoration of the Child.
A work with the same composition was executed by Gentile da Fabriano in 1420-1421, although in it the Virgin is portrayed frontally.
The mantle of the Virgin has on the border the inscription "AVE M[A]T[ER] DIEGNA [D]EI", while on the edge of the cloth on which the Child lies are Arabic characters, which have been read as the Quran Shahada (لا إله إلا الله - Lā ilāha illa Allāh).
The gable with God the Father is original but within a modern frame.
This painting is on loan from His Majesty The King
In-depth
This panel formed the centre of an altarpiece commissioned by a member of the Quaratesi family for the high altar of San Niccoló Oltrarno, Florence. No Venetian painter was untouched by these novelties.
The small angels in the foreground hold a scroll inscribed with an Easter antiphon to the Virgin.
The photograph to the right shows the extent of the losses.
Artwork Details
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The cloth of honour behind the Virgin is silver (now tarnished) glazed with red. Astonishing at this date—ca. 1410—is the delicate naturalism of the child, the attentive description of the plants, and the rythmic folds of the drapery, which confer an effect of incipient movement. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.