Virgin and Child with Saints

By Berlinghiero, c. 1230s
JPG • 3400 × 2850 PX • 3.4 MB
Curatorial Notes

This small altarpiece, intended for a domestic interior or private chapel, consists of three panels, allowing it to be folded and easily transported. Surrounding the Virgin and Child in the center are various saints. On the left is Saint Andrew crucified, with St. Francis and St. Paul below; on the right, Christ with the instruments of the Passion, and St. Stephen and St. Lawrence below. The long expressive lines that define the clothing and hands of the figures are typical of Byzantine painting, which spread from Constantinople to Italy in the Middle Ages. Berlinghiero is one of the earliest Italian painters known by name. He lived in Lucca, the most important artistic center in Tuscany before the rise of Siena and Florence. Berlinghiero headed a large, influential workshop that included his sons.

Artwork Identification

Title Virgin and Child with Saints
Title (PT) A Virgem e o Menino com Santos
Title (ES) La Virgen y el Niño con Santos
Artist Berlinghiero
Artist Bio Berlinghiero (Italian, before 1242)
Date c. 1230s
Work Type Painting

Location & Collection

License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
Ars Sancta