Pietro Lorenzetti

Sienese, active 1306 - 1345

Explore Selected Works

Shown from the hips up, a woman holds an ivory-white, cylindrical jar against a gold background on a panel shaped to come to a sharp point at the top of this vertical painting. The pale skin of the woman is faintly tinted with green. Her body faces us, and she looks at or past us with wide, hooded, light brown eyes under faint brows. She has a long, straight nose, and her pink bow-shaped lips are closed. The woman wears a tomato-red mantle that covers her head and drapes down past her shoulders and over her matching dress. Locks of blond hair show under the mantle on the sides of her face. Bands of geometric designs made with black lines decorate the edges of her mantle and the neckline of her dress. The woman holds her left hand under the jar and her right hand holds onto its peaked lid. A disk-like halo with a floral pattern is incised into the gold background behind the woman. Above the woman, narrow molding affixed to the panel creates a rounded but pointed arch set under the sharp point at the top of the panel. Between the arch and the triangular tip, an angel with harvest-gold wings and blond hair is shown from the chest up. The angel’s body faces us but the head is in profile to our right. A narrow palm frond is held by one shoulder, and a butter-yellow cloth drapes over a cardinal-red gown. The surface of the painting is cracked and chipped, especially in the gold areas. 
Pietro Lorenzetti, Saint Mary Magdalene, with an Angel [left panel], probably 1340, tempera on panel transferred to canvas, Gift of Frieda Schiff Warburg in memory of her husband, Felix M. Warburg, 1941.5.1.a

Saint Mary Magdalene, with an Angel [left panel]

Pietro Lorenzetti · probably 1340 · tempera on panel transferred to canvas ·  Accession ID  1941.5.1.a

Shown from the hips up, a woman to our left holds a baby upright in her arms to our right, both against a gold background on a panel shaped to come to a sharp point at the top of this vertical painting. The pale skin of both people is faintly tinted with green. The woman’s body is angled to our right and she looks at the child she holds. She has wide, hooded, light brown eyes under faint brows, a long, straight nose, and her pale pink lips are closed. She wears a sapphire-blue mantle that covers her head and drapes down past her shoulders over a crimson-red dress. Edges of a white veil are visible long the edge of the blue robe. She holds a bunch of red cherries in her right hand by the child’s hip. The baby’s body is angled toward the woman, and he turns his head back to look over his left shoulder, off to our right. He has short, tight blond curls and pale brown eyes. Pale pink flushes his cheeks and his mouth is slightly open. He holds a bunch of three cherries close to his mouth with one hand and reaches toward the fruit the woman holds with the other. He wears a daffodil-yellow garment with a tight bodice, long sleeves, and fabric loosely draped over his legs to show the toes of one bare foot. A swath of fabric wafts from his left shoulder, to our right, like a pennant. Bands of geometric designs made with black lines decorate the cuffs, waist, and neckline of the tunic. Disk-like halos are incised into the gold background the woman and child. Above them, narrow molding affixed to the panel creates a rounded but pointed arch set under the sharp point at the top of the panel. Between the arch and the triangular tip, a man with a honey-brown beard and hair surrounded by a gold halo holds up his right hand with the index and middle fingers raised. Seen from the waist up, he wears an ultramarine-blue tunic with a rose-pink robe, and he looks off to our right. The surface of the painting is cracked and chipped, especially in the gold areas.
Pietro Lorenzetti, Madonna and Child, with the Blessing Christ [middle panel], probably 1340, tempera on panel transferred to canvas, Gift of Frieda Schiff Warburg in memory of her husband, Felix M. Warburg, 1941.5.1.b

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

Pietro Lorenzetti · probably 1340 · tempera on panel transferred to canvas ·  Accession ID  1941.5.1.b

Shown from the hips up, a woman wearing a crown braces a wooden wheel against a gold background on a panel shaped to come to a sharp point at the top of this vertical painting. The woman’s pale skin is faintly tinged with green and gray. Her body faces us, and she looks at us with light brown, almond-shaped eyes. She has a long, straight nose, full cheeks, and her pink lips are closed. Her blond hair sweeps back from her face under the gold crown, which is set with blue and red gems. Her dress and cloak have gold leafy patterns against ivory white, and are edged with brick red. She wraps the cloak around her left elbow, to our right, and grips the fabric in that hand. The other elbow is slung over the wooden wheel, and she holds a palm frond in that hand. A gold halo is incised onto the background. Above the woman, narrow molding affixed to the panel creates a rounded but pointed arch set under the sharp point at the top of the panel. Between the arch and the triangular tip, an angel with yellow and blue wings and blond hair is shown from the chest up. The angel’s body faces us but the head is almost in profile to our left. A narrow palm frond is held by one shoulder, and a butter-yellow cloth drapes over a cardinal-red gown. The surface of the painting is cracked and chipped, especially in the gold areas. 
Pietro Lorenzetti, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with an Angel [right panel], probably 1340, tempera on panel transferred to canvas, Gift of Frieda Schiff Warburg in memory of her husband, Felix M. Warburg, 1941.5.1.c

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, with an Angel [right panel]

Pietro Lorenzetti · probably 1340 · tempera on panel transferred to canvas ·  Accession ID  1941.5.1.c

Three panels of an altarpiece are each filled by a woman shown from the hips up against a gold background. The central woman, Mary, also holds a baby. Narrow molding affixed to each panel comes to a rounded but pointed arch set under a sharp point at the top. The people all have pale skin tinged with green or gray, light brown eyes, and their heads are surrounded with disk-like halos. The women also have almond-shaped eyes, long, straight noses, and their bow-shaped lips are closed. In the center, Mary looks at the blond-haired baby she holds. Mary’s head and shoulders are covered by a sapphire-blue mantle over a crimson-red dress. She supports the baby’s bottom with one hand and holds a bunch of red cherries in her other by the child’s hip. The baby’s body is angled toward the woman, and he turns his head back to look over his left shoulder, off to our right. Blond hair curls tightly against his head. Pale pink flushes his cheeks, and his mouth is slightly open. He holds a bunch of three cherries close to his mouth with one hand and reaches toward the fruit the woman holds with the other. He wears a daffodil-yellow garment with a tight bodice, long sleeves, and fabric loosely draped over his legs to show the toes of one bare foot. A swath of fabric flutters from his left shoulder, to our right, like a pennant in a breeze. In the space between the pointed arch and the pointy top of the panel, a man with a honey-brown beard and hair surrounded by a gold halo holds up his right hand with the index and middle fingers raised. Shown from the waist up, he wears an ultramarine-blue tunic with a rose-pink robe, and he looks off to our right. In the panel to our left, the woman holds an ivory-white, cylindrical jar and wears a tomato-red mantle that covers her head and drapes down past her shoulders and over her matching dress. Locks of blond hair show under the mantle on the sides of her face. Bands of geometric designs made with black lines decorate the edges of her mantle and the neckline of her dress. The woman holds her left hand under the jar and her right hand holds onto its peaked lid. In the panel to our right, the woman wears a crown and braces a wooden wheel under one elbow. Her dress and cloak have gold leafy patterns against ivory white, and are edged with brick red. She wraps the cloak around her left elbow, to our right, and grips the fabric in that hand. She holds a palm frond with the hand draped on the wheel. An angel occupies the areas between the rounded arches and pointed tops of both flanking panels. Both angels have yellow wings and blond hair, wear red robes with yellow cloaks, and hold palm fronds. The bodies face us but both look in toward the center so we see the angels almost in profile. The surface of all three panels are cracked and chipped, especially in the gold areas. 
Pietro Lorenzetti, Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Mary Magdalene and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych], probably 1340, tempera on panel transferred to canvas, Gift of Frieda Schiff Warburg in memory of her husband, Felix M. Warburg, 1941.5.1.a-c

Madonna and Child with the Blessing Christ, and Saints Mary Magdalene and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels [entire triptych]

Pietro Lorenzetti · probably 1340 · tempera on panel transferred to canvas ·  Accession ID  1941.5.1.a-c

Bibliography

1929

  • DeWald, Ernest T. “Pietro Lorenzetti.” Art Studies 7 (1929): 131-166.

1930

  • Cecchi, Emilio. Pietro Lorenzetti. Milan, 1930.

1933

  • Sinibaldi, Giulia. I Lorenzetti. Siena, 1933.

1960

  • Becchis, Michela. “Lorenzetti, Pietro.” In Dizionario biografico degli italiani. Edited by Alberto Maria Ghisalberti. 79+ vols. Rome, 1960+: 65(2005):803-811.

1984

  • Carli, Enzo. I Lorenzetti. Milan, 1960.

  • Maginnis, Hayden B.J. “Pietro Lorenzetti: a Chronology.” The Art Bulletin 66 (1984): 183-211.

1989

  • Volpe, Carlo. Pietro Lorenzetti. Edited by Mauro Lucco. Milan, 1989.

1991

  • De Benedictis, Cristina. "Lorenzetti, Pietro." In Enciclopedia dell’arte medievale. Edited by Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana. 12 vols. Rome, 1991-2002: 7(1996):884-892.

2002

  • Monciatti, Alessio. "Pietro Lorenzetti." In Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti. Edited by Chiara Frugoni. Florence, 2002: 13-117.

2016

  • Boskovits, Miklós. Italian Paintings of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries. The Systematic Catalogue of the National Gallery of Art. Washington, 2016: 222-223.