Virgin and Child with Donor
late 1340s
This intimate but formal image encompasses the Virgin Mary's numerous roles: protective mother, Queen of Heaven, and embodiment of the living Church. The donor, much smaller and kneeling at the lower left, intended the altarpiece to be an eternal document of religious devotion that would assure his reception into heaven.
This splendid panel is remarkable for the intensity of color and the rich variety of gilding effects in the garments and the halos. Although the panel is in very good condition, the upper part of the throne is a skillful reconstruction. Compare the restorer's punchwork, gilding and brushstrokes to those of the artist.
Egg tempera with gold on wood
43 x 18 1/2 in. (109.2 x 47 cm)
Samuel H. Kress Collection
61.151
Provenance: Private collection, England; Prince Vladmir Galitzin (Golitzyn), London, until sold 1927; [Durlacher Brothers, New York, by 1928]; purchased from gallery by Marquis H. de Talleyrand, Palazzo Orsini, Rome, December 28, 1929 [1]; Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi (1878-1955), Rome-Florence; purchased from Contini-Bonacossi by Samuel H. Kress (1863-1955), New York, September 1, 1939; gift of the Samuel H. Kress collection to National Gallery of Art, 1943; deaccessioned and returned to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 1952; gift from Kress Foundation to Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1961
[1] Durlacher Bros. Records, 1919-1973, Getty Research Institute, Los Anglees. Record Number 950003, Series II, Box 4, Folder 17. The painting was lent by Durlacher to the Exhibition of Old Masters and Works of Art, Art Insitute Kansas City, 1928, no. 3
Photo: Eduardo Calderon