Enthroned Virgin and Child with Saints and Patron
Bernardo Daddi or his Workshop
Italian (Florentine School), c. 1290–1348
c. 1335–1340
Tempera painting on lindenwood panel
Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Bernado Daddi was one of the most successful followers of the great Florentine artist Giotto di Bondone. This panel, which was likely the middle of triptych – a foldable artwork of three flat, hinged panels - is small in fitting with the practice by Daddi and his studio of making portable altarpieces. Altarpieces, artwork displayed behind the altar of a Christian church, were usually large and were not moved. Pieces like Enthroned Virgin were produced in a size so that they could be used both at home and while traveling. The Madonna’s throne is reminiscent of an altar tabernacle, reinforcing the idea that this piece could function as a mini-altar in and of itself.