Madonna and Child, with the Blessing Christ [middle panel]

c. 1415/1420

Martino di Bartolomeo

Painter, Sienese, active 1393/1434

Shown from the hips up, a woman holds a baby up so they are cheek-to-cheek in front of a gold background in this vertical painting, which has a triangular top. Both have pale skin and pink-flushed cheeks. The woman’s body is angled slightly to our right, but she looks off to our left from the corners of her brown eyes. Her thin eyebrows are low over her almond-shaped eyes, and she has a long, straight nose and a narrow, square jaw. Her blond hair is mostly covered by a dark blue cloak, which is edged in gold and lined in leaf green. Her white dress underneath is also lined with gold along the neckline. The baby wraps one arm around her neck and grips the neckline of her dress with the other. He has a round face but with an adult-like nose and lips. His blond hair curls in short layers over his ears. He wears a pink robe tied with a white sash. The robe has scallop-edged, short sleeves over coral-red long sleeves, also edged with gold. The woman supports the baby’s bottom with one hand and holds one of his bare feet with her other. Their halos are punched into the gold background, and gilded molding creates a pointed arch over the pair. A third person, tiny in scale, is shown from the waist up in the tip of the panel. This man has long, wavy blond hair and is clean-shaven. His body and face are square to us, but he looks off to our right from the corners of his eyes. He wears a pale blue robe under a rose-pink cloak. He braces an open book so the written text on the splayed pages faces us with one hand. His other is lifted by his chest with the first two fingers raised. He also has a halo and is in front of a gold background. The gold background is rubbed in some areas to show the red layer beneath it, especially under the pointed arch.

Media Options

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This panel, along with two others by the Sienese artist Martino di Bartolomeo, were part of the same altarpiece. The figures’ solemnity and large bodies are characteristic of Martino’s work. In the central panel, the Virgin and Child touch their pink cheeks together. This kind of representation is called the Virgin Glykophilousa, or “Virgin of Tenderness,” a popular icon in the Byzantine East (glykos is Greek for sweet). Adding to the tender emotion in the figures’ embrace is the soft modeling of their faces and Jesus’s tug at the bodice of his mother’s dress, indicating his desire to nurse. Inset above them is the Blessing Christ.

Originally, Saint Peter would have appeared on the left. He holds the keys to heaven, but would have been recognized without that by his yellow robe and distinctive curly gray hair and beard. Above him is Saint James Major, known by his pilgrim’s staff, and inset into the panel on the opposite side is Anthony Abbot, identifiable by his hospitaller habit from a religious military order and T-shaped staff. Identifying the saint beneath Anthony Abbot is more difficult. He is apparently young and a deacon, by virtue of his wide-sleeved outer garment called a dalmatic. Because he holds a palm, we also know that he was a martyr. Two candidates for his identity are Saints Stephen and Lawrence. Saint Stephen, in fact, is considered the first Christian martyr. The means by which saints were martyred are typically included in their depictions and make identification possible: Stephen was stoned to death, and Lawrence was grilled over a fire. Since the artist and his patron did not feel such clues were required here, it is possible that the altarpiece originally stood in a church dedicated to the mystery saint.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    tempera on panel

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Samuel L. Fuller

  • Dimensions

    painted surface: 106.05 × 50.8 cm (41 3/4 × 20 in.)
    original panel: 117.48 × 52.39 × 4.13 cm (46 1/4 × 20 5/8 × 1 5/8 in.)
    overall (with added wood strips): 120.65 × 60.96 × 4.13 cm (47 1/2 × 24 × 1 5/8 in.)
    depth (indicates warp of the panel): 8.57 cm (3 3/8 in.)

  • Accession

    1950.11.1.b

Associated Artworks

A central panel showing a woman holding a baby is flanked by slightly smaller panels, which each show a man. All three adults are shown from the hips up in front of gold backgrounds and have pale skin and gold halos. Gilded molding creates a pointed arch over each man and over the woman and baby. Each panel also has a triangular top, and a person, tiny in relation to the main figures below, is tucked into each pointed tip. Those smaller figures also have gold halos and are shown from the hips up in front of gold backgrounds. In the center panel, the woman’s body is angled slightly to our right, but she looks off to our left from the corners of her brown eyes. Her thin eyebrows are low over her almond-shaped eyes, and she has a long, straight nose and a narrow, square jaw. Her blond hair is mostly covered by a dark blue cloak, which is edged in gold and lined in leaf green. Her white dress underneath is also lined with gold along the neckline. The baby wraps one arm around her neck and grips the neckline of her dress with the other. He has a round face but with an adult-like nose and lips. His blond hair curls in short layers over his ears. He wears a pink robe tied with a white sash. The robe has scallop-edged, short sleeves over coral-red long sleeves, also edged with gold. The woman supports the baby’s bottom with one hand and holds one of his bare feet with her other. The third person on this panel, in the pointed peak, is a clean-shaven man with long, wavy blond hair. His body and face are square to us, but he looks off to our right from the corners of his eyes. He wears a pale blue robe under a rose-pink cloak. He braces an open book so the written text on the splayed pages faces us with one hand. His other is lifted with the first two fingers raised. In the left panel, a bearded man holds two oversized gold skeleton keys and a book. His body is angled slightly to our right, but he looks off to our left from the corners of his brown eyes. He has a thin nose with a rounded tip, full pink lips, and a full gray beard. His gray hair is cut into a ring around his head. He wears a sky-blue robe, and his buttercup-yellow cloak is lined with coral red. Both are edged with gold. In the peak above him, a man has long light brown hair and a beard. He wears a pale blue robe under a raspberry-red cloak. He holds a dark yellow book in one hand and a staff with the other. In the right panel, a clean-shaven man’s body is angled slightly to our left, but he looks off to our right from the corners of his brown eyes. He has a thin nose with a rounded tip, full pink lips, and a cleft in his round chin. His blond hair is cut into a ring around his head. His red robe is edged with gold and has rectangular gold patches on the sleeves. A white ruffled collar stands high but loosely around his neck. He braces the book, which has a slate-blue cover and canary-yellow pages, in one hand and holds a palm frond painted with yellow and spring green in the other. The person above is balding with a long gray beard and wears a muted purple robe under a black cloak. He holds a red book in one hand and a crutch with the other. The gold backgrounds are rubbed in some areas to show the red layer beneath, especially under the pointed arches.

Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Peter, James Major, Anthony Abbott, and a Deacon Saint [entire triptych]

Martino di Bartolomeo

1415

Shown from the hips up, a pale-skinned, clean-shaven man holds a palm frond and a book in front of a gold background in this vertical painting, which has a triangular top. The person’s body is angled slightly to our left, but he looks off to our right from the corners of his brown eyes. He has a thin nose with a rounded tip, full pink lips, and a cleft in his round chin. His blond hair is cut into a ring around his head. His red robe is edged with gold and has rectangular gold patches on the sleeves. A white ruffled collar stands high but loosely around his neck. He braces the book, which has a slate-blue cover and canary-yellow pages, in one hand and holds a palm frond painted with yellow and spring green in the other. The man’s gold halo is punched into the gold background, and gilded molding creates a pointed arch over him. A second person, tiny in scale, is shown from the waist up in the tip of the panel. This man is balding with a long gray beard. He wears a muted purple robe under a black cloak. He holds a red book in one hand and a crutch with the other. He also looks off to our right, has a halo, and is in front of a gold background.

Deacon Saint, with Saint Anthony Abbot [right panel]

Martino di Bartolomeo

1415

Shown from the hips up, a pale-skinned, bearded man holds two oversized gold skeleton keys and a book in front of a gold background in this vertical painting, which has a triangular top. The person’s body is angled slightly to our right, but he looks off to our left from the corners of his brown eyes. He has a thin nose with a rounded tip, full pink lips, and full gray beard. His gray hair is cut into a ring around his head. He wears a sky-blue robe, and his buttercup-yellow cloak is lined with coral red. Both are edged with gold. He braces the book, which has a moss-green cover and white pages, in one hand and holds the two keys up in the other. The man’s gold halo is punched into the gold background, and gilded molding creates a pointed arch over him. A second person, tiny in scale, is shown from the waist up in the tip of the panel. This man has long light brown hair and a beard. He wears a pale blue robe under a raspberry-red cloak. He holds a dark yellow book in one hand and a staff with the other. He looks down to our right, has a halo, and is in front of a gold background.

Saint Peter, with Saint James Major [left panel]

Martino di Bartolomeo

1415

More About this Artwork

Scholarly Article:  Italian Paintings of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries: Madonna and Child, with the Blessing Christ [middle panel], c. 1415/1420

This horizontal painting is made up of three parts: in the center square panel, a woman reclines under a wooden shelter set into a rocky cave, which is surrounded by angels, and narrower wings to either side are each occupied by a standing man. All the people have pale skin, which is tinged with faint green. The three panels are joined with a gold frame, and the gold background behind the central scene and the men in the side panels are covered with a noticeable network of cracks. In the central panel, a cobalt-blue robe nearly envelopes the reclining woman’s body; this is Mary. It covers her head and falls open where she crosses her wrists over her chest to show a pink garment underneath. A flat gold halo encircles her head ,and her body is surrounded by a field of crimson red, almost like an aura. She rests under a wooden structure with a pitched roof, which is surrounded by craggy, barren rock. A swaddled infant lies in a rectangular, tray-like manger. The infant’s head is also surrounded by a gold halo. Fine gold rays emanate down into the structure from a star just above the peak of the roof. A bull and a donkey look down at the baby from the far side of the manger. The interior of the structure behind them is black. In a smaller scale, two women wash a haloed infant in a tub in front of the rocky cave near the lower left corner of this panel. A man with a white beard and hair sits to our left of Mary, holding a pink cloak at his throat and looking toward the infant. Above and around the rocks, seven winged and haloed angels cluster on each side. One angel to the right presents a scroll with black writing to two men accompanied by a dog and several sheep in the lower right. The man in the panel to the left, Isaiah, has a gray beard and long, wavy hair, and he wears a lilac-purple cloak draped over a coral-orange robe. In his right hand, on our left, he holds an unfurled scroll with large black lettering. His other hand is raised with one finger pointing upward. He looks to our left, away from the central scene. On the right, Ezekiel, echoes Isaiah's pose. Ezekiel holds an open scroll with his left hand, on our right, and his other hand is raised. He also wears a coral-colored robe, but his is overlaid with a blue cloak. His receding hair is short and brown, as is his beard. Like Isaiah, he takes up most of the height of the panel and gazes to our left, toward the central panel.

Scholarly Series:  Italian Paintings of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Private collection, London, by 1924.[1] Samuel L. Fuller [1875-1963], New York;[2] gift 1950 to NGA.
[1] See F. Mason Perkins, “Su alcune pitture di Martino di Bartolomeo,” Rassegna d’Arte Senese 18 (1924): 5-12. The author does not divulge the name of the collector, but since he mentions that it was the collector himself who had suggested the attribution to Martino di Bartolomeo, the owner was undoubtedly a connoisseur and probably an amateur dealer such as Robert Langton Douglas or Edward Hutton, both active in London. A note from Ellis Waterhouse, written 22 July 1980, and recorded in NGA curatorial files, says, “I have old Langton Douglas photographs of these.”
[2] See Fern Rusk Shapley, Catalogue of the Italian Paintings, 2 vols., Washington, D.C., 1979: 1:303.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1968

  • Loan to display with permanent collection, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1968-1976 (middle panel of the triptych only).

Bibliography

1907

  • Weigelt, Curt H. "Martino di Bartolomeo." In Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart. Edited by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker. 37 vols. Leipzig, 1907-1950: 24(1930):181.

1923

  • Marle, Raimond van. The Development of the Italian Schools of Painting. 19 vols. The Hague, 1923-1938: 2(1924):590.

1924

  • Perkins, F. Mason. "Su alcune pitture di Martino di Bartolomeo." Rassegna d’arte senese 18 (1924): 12, repro.

1932

  • Marle, Raimond van. Le scuole della pittura italiana. 2 vols. The Hague and Florence, 1932-1934: 2(1934):646, 648 n.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 83.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 74, repro.

1972

  • Fredericksen, Burton B., and Federico Zeri. Census of Pre-Nineteenth Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections. Cambridge, Mass., 1972: 122, 312, 370, 403, 440, 647.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 216, repro.

1979

  • Shapley, Fern Rusk. Catalogue of the Italian Paintings. National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. Washington, 1979: 1:302-303; 2:pl. 216.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 251, repro. 230 (incorrectly identified as repro. of 1937.1.11, Lippo Memmi, Madonna and Child).

1992

  • Molten, Carol Montfort. The Sienese Painter Martino di Bartolomeo. PhD diss. Indiana University, 1992. Ann Arbor, MI, 1996: 89-90, 260.

1998

  • Frinta, Mojmír S. Punched Decoration on Late Medieval Panel and Miniature Painting. Prague, 1998: 326, 408.

2005

  • Colucci, Silvia. "L’iconografia del crocifisso con i dolenti in umiltà: una questione aperta." In Il Crocifisso con i dolenti in umiltà di Paolo di Giovanni Fei: un capolavoro riscoperto. Edited by Alessandro Bagnoli, Silvia Colucci and Veronica Radon. Exh. cat. Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena, 2005: 48.

Inscriptions

on Christ's book: Ego S / um lu / x m / undi / [et] via / veritas / et vita / quise / gui ... (I am the light of the world and the way, the truth and the life; a conflation of John 8:12 and 14:6) [1]

Wikidata ID

Q20173404

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