Click on any panel in the altarpiece reconstruction below to see an enlarged version of the image. Color reproductions in the reconstruction indicate panels in the National Gallery of Art collection.
Overview
This large painting of the Madonna and Child was in the center of an altarpiece devoted to Saint John the Baptist, which also featured
The style of
Entry
This panel, along with its two companions
The altarpiece of Saint John the Baptist had evidently been dismantled by the first half of the nineteenth century, for by the 1840s fragments of it had begun to emerge on the art market.
Altarpieces in the elongated horizontal form of thirteenth-century dossals, approximately one meter (or a little more) in height and two and a half meters in width, such as the dismantled altarpiece of the Baptist being discussed here, are rare in Tuscany in the fourteenth century, but must have been fairly common in a region like Emilia Romagna.
With regard to the Madonna and Child, a motif for which the painters of Rimini had a special predilection was the cloth of honor supported by angels behind the Virgin’s throne
The precision in representing the insect
Several clues confirm the attribution of our panels to Giovanni Baronzio. First, there are clear analogies between the fragments of the altarpiece of Saint John and other works generally attributed to the artist, such as the solemn mantle-clad men to the right of our Birth of the Baptist and those of Christ before Pilate now in the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, or the peculiar, splayed-leg pose of the Baptist in the baptism scene that recurs in the figure of Adam in Descent of Christ into Limbo, also in the Gemäldegalerie.
As for the date of our dismantled altarpiece, it may be placed in or shortly before the mid-fourth decade of the fourteenth century, on the basis of comparisons with the artist’s only signed and dated work.
The period that elapsed between the execution of the dismantled altarpiece of the Baptist and the panel now in Urbino cannot have been brief, but its duration is difficult to gauge given the lack of other securely datable works by Baronzio. A probable terminus post quem could be offered by the dossal now divided between the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica di Palazzo Barberini in Rome and the collection of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Rimini; according to a plausible recent proposal, the dossal must have been commissioned for the high altar of the Franciscan church of Villa Verucchio and must date to c. 1330.
Miklós Boskovits (1935–2011)
March 21, 2016
Inscription
on the Madonna's halo: AVE.MARIA.GRAT[IA].PLENA.D[OMI]N[U]S: (Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; from Luke 1:28)
Provenance
Possibly commissioned as part of the high altarpiece of a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist in Emilia Romagna or in the Marche, Italy. Léon Ouroussoff [1877-1933], Vienna and later, Monte Carlo and Cannes, early twentieth century;[1] purchased February 1920 by Edward Fowles for (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris);[2] sold to Otto H. Kahn [1867-1934], New York, by 1924; by inheritance to his wife, Addie Wolff Kahn [d. 1949], New York; sold 18 January 1937 to (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London, New York, and Paris);[3] sold 1942 to the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[4] gift 1943 to NGA.
Exhibition History
- 1924
- Loan Exhibition of Important Early Italian Paintings in the Possession of Notable American Collectors, Duveen Brothers, New York, 1924, no. 9, as by Giovanni Baronzio (no. 33 in illustrated 1926 version of catalogue).
- 1940
- Arts of the Middle Ages: A Loan Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1940, no. 57, as The Virgin and Child Enthroned.
- 1946
- Recent Additions to the Kress Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1946, no. 711.
- 1995
- Il Trecento Riminese: Maestri e botteghe tra Romagna e Marche, Museo della Città, Rimini, Italy, 1995-1996, no. 50, repro.
Technical Summary
The support is a panel made from a single, vertically grained plank of wood, which has been thinned to approximately 1.2 cm and cradled. It was covered with pieces of fabric, followed by
Bibliography
- 1924
- Offner, Richard. "A Remarkable Exhibition of Italian Paintings." The Arts 5 (1924): 240 (repro.), 245.
- 1925
- McCormick, William B. "Otto H. Kahn Collection." International Studio 80 (1925): 280 (repro.), 286.
- 1926
- Valentiner, Wilhelm R. A Catalogue of Early Italian Paintings Exhibited at the Duveen Galleries, April to May 1924. New York, 1926: n.p., no. 33, repro.
- 1928
- Lehman, Robert. The Philip Lehman Collection, New York: Paintings. Paris, 1928: no. LXXIV, repro.
- 1931
- Venturi, Lionello. Pitture italiane in America. Milan, 1931: no. 92, repro.
- 1932
- Berenson, Bernard. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance: A List of the Principal Artists and Their Works with an Index of Places. Oxford, 1932: 44.
- 1933
- Venturi, Lionello. Italian Paintings in America. Translated by Countess Vanden Heuvel and Charles Marriott. 3 vols. New York and Milan, 1933: 1:no. 113, repro.
- 1935
- Brandi, Cesare, ed. Mostra della pittura riminese del Trecento. Exh. cat. Palazzo dell'Arengo, Rimini, 1935: xxii-xxiii, 212 fig. 140.
- 1935
- Salmi, Mario. "La scuola di Rimini, 3." Rivista del R. Istituto d'archeologia e storia dell’arte 5 (1935): 112, 113 (repro.), 115, 125 n. 22.
- 1936
- Berenson, Bernard. Pitture italiane del rinascimento: catalogo dei principali artisti e delle loro opere con un indice dei luoghi. Translated by Emilio Cecchi. Milan, 1936: 37.
- 1936
- Brandi, Cesare. "Conclusioni su alcuni discussi problemi della pittura riminese del Trecento." Critica d’arte 1 (1936): 231 n. 18, 236-237.
- 1936
- Salmi, Mario. "Review of Conclusioni su alcuni discussi problemi della pittura riminese del Trecento by Cesare Brandi." Rivista d’arte 18 (1936): 413.
- 1940
- Arts of the Middle Ages 1000-1400. A Loan Exhibition. Exh. cat. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1940: 20.
- 1940
- Frankfurter, Alfred M. "Medieval Style in Painting." Art News 38 (1940): 14, repro.
- 1941
- Coletti, Luigi. I Primitivi. 3 vols. Novara, 1941-1947: 3(1947):xix, lxix n. 34, pl. 33.
- 1944
- Frankfurter, Alfred M. The Kress Collection in the National Gallery. New York, 1944: 17, repro., as by Giovanni Baronzio.
- 1945
- Paintings and Sculpture from the Kress Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1945 (reprinted 1947, 1949): 10, repro., as by Giovanni Baronzio.
- 1945
- "The New Kress Gift to the National Gallery, Washington." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 86, no. 504 (1945): 55.
- 1946
- Douglas, Robert Langton. "Recent Additions to the Kress Collection." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 88 (1946): repro. 84.
- 1947
- Sandberg-Vavalà, Evelyn. "A Madonna by Giovanni Baronzio." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 89 (1947): 32, n. 11.
- 1951
- Galetti, Ugo, and Ettore Camesasca. Enciclopedia della pittura italiana. 3 vols. Milan, 1951: 1:209 repro.
- 1951
- Paintings and Sculpture from the Kress Collection Acquired by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation 1945-1951. Introduction by John Walker, text by William E. Suida. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1951: 36.
- 1951
- Toesca, Pietro. Il Trecento. Storia dell’arte italiana, 2. Turin, 1951: 730.
- 1954
- Shorr, Dorothy C. The Christ Child in Devotional Images in Italy During the XIV Century. New York, 1954: 75 n. 27, 109 n. 3, 122.
- 1954
- Suida, Wilhelm. European Paintings and Sculpture from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. Seattle, 1954: 14.
- 1957
- Exposition de la Collection Lehman de New York. Exh. cat. Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, 1957: 31-32.
- 1959
- Lazarev, Viktor Nikitič. Proischoždenie italʹjanskogo vozroždenija. Vol. 2 (of 3), Iskusstvo trečento. Moscow, 1959: 222, repro. 487.
- 1959
- Paintings and Sculpture from the Samuel H. Kress Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1959: 26, repro.
- 1965
- Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 86.
- 1965
- Volpe, Carlo. La pittura riminese del Trecento. Milan, 1965: 38-39, 80, fig. 181.
- 1966
- Shapley, Fern Rusk. Paintings from the Samuel H. Kress Collection: Italian Schools, XIII-XV Century. London, 1966: 68, fig. 183.
- 1967
- Klesse, Brigitte. Seidenstoffe in der italienischen Malerei des 14. Jahrhunderts. Bern, 1967: 64, 213, 281.
- 1968
- Berenson, Bernard. Italian Pictures of the Renaissance. Central Italian and North Italian Schools. 3 vols. London, 1968: 1:362.
- 1968
- National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 75, repro.
- 1970
- Seymour, Charles. Early Italian Paintings in the Yale University Art Gallery. New Haven and London, 1970: 108.
- 1971
- Kiel, Hanna. "Review of Antologia di dipinti di cinque secoli, Circolo delle Stampe, Palazzo Serbelloni." Pantheon 29 (1971): 345.
- 1972
- Fredericksen, Burton B., and Federico Zeri. Census of Pre-Nineteenth Century Italian Paintings in North American Public Collections. Cambridge, Mass., 1972: 130, 646.
- 1975
- European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 222, repro.
- 1975
- Szabó, George. The Robert Lehman Collection: A Guide. New York, 1975: 25.
- 1976
- Fowles, Edward. Memories of Duveen Brothers. London, 1976: 124-125.
- 1979
- Shapley, Fern Rusk. Catalogue of the Italian Paintings. National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. Washington, 1979: 1:316; 2:pl. 229.
- 1979
- Zuliani, Fulvio. "Tommaso da Modena." In Tomaso da Modena: catalogo. Edited by Luigi Menegazzi. Exh. cat. Convento di Santa Caterina, Capitolo dei Dominicani, Treviso, 1979: 105 n. 9.
- 1982
- Christiansen, Keith. "Fourteenth-Century Italian Altarpieces." Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art 40 (1982): 42, repro. 45.
- 1984
- Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 67, no. 4, color repro.
- 1985
- European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 255, repro.
- 1986
- Castelnuovo, Enrico, ed. La Pittura in Italia. Il Duecento e il Trecento. Essays by Andrea Bacchi and Daniele Benati. 2 vols. Milan, 1986: 1;208; 2:611.
- 1987
- Pope-Hennessy, John, and Laurence B. Kanter. The Robert Lehman Collection. Vol. 1, Italian Paintings. New York, 1987: 86, repro. 289.
- 1989
- "Maestro della Vita del Battista." In Dizionario della pittura e dei pittori. Edited by Enrico Castelnuovo and Bruno Toscano. 6 vols. Turin, 1989-1994: 3(1992):430.
- 1990
- Pasini, Pier Giorgio. La pittura riminese del Trecento. Cinisello Balsamo (Milan), 1990: repro. 127.
- 1991
- Benati, Daniele. "Baronzio, Giovanni." In Enciclopedia dell’arte medievale. Edited by Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana. 12 vols. Rome, 1991-2002: 3(1992):121.
- 1991
- Freuler, Gaudenz, ed. Manifestatori delle cose miracolose: arte italiana del ’300 e ’400 da collezioni in Svizzera e nel Liechtenstein. Exh. cat. Villa Favorita, Fondazione Thyssen-Bornemisza, Lugano-Castagnola. Einsiedeln, 1991: 132.
- 1992
- Hornig, Christian. "Baronzio Giovanni." In Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon: Die bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker. Edited by Günter Meissner. 87+ vols. Munich and Leipzig, 1992+: 7(1993):135.
- 1992
- Mancinelli, Fabrizio. "I dipinti della Pinacoteca dall’XI al XV secolo." In Pinacoteca Vaticana: nella pittura l’espressione del messaggio divino nella luce la radice della creazione pittorica. Edited by Umberto Baldini. Milan, 1992: 162-163.
- 1993
- Boskovits, Miklós. "Per la storia della pittura tra la Romagna e le Marche ai primi del ’300." Arte cristiana 81 (1993): 168-169.
- 1994
- Rossi, Francesco. Catalogo della Pinacoteca Vaticana, 3. Il Trecento: Umbria, Marche, Italia del Nord. Vatican City, 1994: 113-118, fig. 155.
- 1995
- Baetjer, Katharine. European Paintings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Artists Born before 1865. A Summary Catalogue. New York, 1995: 110.
- 1995
- Benati, Daniele, ed. Il Trecento riminese: Maestri e botteghe tra Romagna e Marche. Exh. cat. Museo della città, Rimini. Milan, 1995: 47, 55, 56 n. 3, 264, repro. 265, 266, repro. 268.
- 1996
- Tambini, Anna. "In margine alla pittura riminese del Trecento." Studi romagnoli 47 (1996): 466.
- 1998
- Frinta, Mojmír S. Punched Decoration on Late Medieval Panel and Miniature Painting. Prague, 1998: 152, 164.
- 2002
- Ragionieri, Giovanna. "Baronzio, Giovanni." In La pittura in Europa. Il Dizionario dei pittori. Edited by Carlo Pirovano. 3 vols. Milan, 2002: 1:53.
- 2004
- Secrest, Meryle. Duveen: A Life in Art. New York, 2004: 409.
- 2005
- Laclotte, Michel, and Esther Moench. Peinture italienne: Musée du Petit Palais, Avignon. Paris, 2005: 63.
- 2006
- Benati, Daniele. "Il Dossale Corvisieri nel percorso di Giovanni Baronzio." L’Arco 4 (2006): 27.
- 2006
- Morozzi, Luisa. "Da Lasinio a Sterbini: ‘primitivi’ in una raccolta romana di secondo Ottocento." In AEIMNEΣTOΣ. Miscellanea di studi per Mauro Cristofani. 2 vols. Edited by Benedetta Adembri. Florence, 2006: 2:912, 916 n. 50.
- 2008
- Ferrara, Daniele, ed. Giovanni Baronzio e la pittura a Rimini nel Trecento. Exh. cat. Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Rome. Cinisello Balsamo (near Milan), 2008: 31, 106.
- 2016
- Boskovits, Miklós. Italian Paintings of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries. The Systematic Catalogue of the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 2016: 162-175, color repro.
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Altarpiece Reconstruction

Reconstruction of a dispersed altarpiece by Giovanni Baronzio as proposed by Keith Christiansen (1982)
a. Annunciation of the Birth of the Baptist (Entry fig. 2)
b.
c. Young Baptist Led by an Angel into the Wilderness (Entry fig. 3)
d. The Baptist Interrogated by the Pharisees (Entry fig. 4)
e.
f.
g. The Baptist Sends His Disciples to Christ (Entry fig. 5)
h. Feast of Herod (Entry fig. 6)
i. The Baptist’s Descent into Limbo (Entry fig. 7)