Master of the Clarisse (possibly Rinaldo da Siena), 'The Virgin and Child', about 1265-8
About the work
Overview
This small painting is one of the earliest in the National Gallery’s collection. It was probably made in Siena – it shares many features with Sienese painting of the period – but its combination of images is rare. It is possible that it’s based on a Byzantine (Eastern Christian) painting.
The Virgin and Child are shown in a tender pose that was popular in Byzantine icon painting. The other images narrate humanity’s salvation through the birth and death of Christ. So, just above the central image, we see the Angel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary that she will give birth to the Son of God. Above this is a scene of Christ’s Crucifixion.
In the spaces on either side of this arched image are the believers (on the left) ascending to heaven and the damned (on the right) who, cowering, cannot enter heaven.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Virgin and Child
- Artist dates
- documented 1274 - 1281
- Date made
- about 1265-8
- Medium and support
- egg tempera on wood
- Dimensions
- 31.4 × 19.5 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Acquired with the assistance of the Art Fund (with a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation), 1998
- Inventory number
- NG6571
- Location
- Gallery F
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 13th-century Sienese Frame (original frame)
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Dillian Gordon, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Italian Paintings before 1400’, London 2011; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
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1947E.B. Garrison, 'Post-War Discoveries: Early Italian Paintings IV', The Burlington Magazine, LXXXIX, 1947, pp. 299-303
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1949E.B. Garrison, Italian Romanesque Panel Painting: An Illustrated Index, Florence 1949
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1950R. Offner, 'Guido da Siena and A.D. 1221', Gazette des beaux-arts, XXXVII, 1950, pp. 61-90
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1957G. Coor, 'The Earliest Italian Representation of the Coronation of the Virgin', The Burlington Magazine, XCIX, 1957, pp. 328-30
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1962H. Hager, Die Anfänge des italianiscehn Altarbildes, Vienna 1962
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1963E.R. Eglinski, Sienese Dugento Painting: A Catalogue of Paintings Before Duccio, Phd Thesis, State University of Iowa 1963
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1964J.H. Stubblebine, Guido da Siena, Princeton 1964
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1974A.M. Giusti, 'Una Biccherna del 1278', Commentari, 1974, pp. 275-8
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1981E. Carli, La pittura senese del Trecento, Milan 1981
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1985M. Boskovits, 'Iniziali miniati e tavolette de Biccherna: Studi recenti sul (dipingere in miniatura)', Arte Cristiana, LXXIII, 1985, pp. 327-37
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1987L.C. Marques, La peinture du duecento en Italie centrale, Paris 1987
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1988F. Zeri, 'Corso di Buono', in L. Bellosi (ed.), Umbri e Toscani tra Due e Trecento, Turin 1988, pp. 43ff
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1991L. Bellosi, 'Per un contesto cimabuesco senese: A) Guido da Siena e il probabile Dietisalve di Speme', Prospettiva, LXI, 1991, pp. 6-20
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1991L. Bellosi, 'Per un contesto cimabuesco senese: B) Rinaldo da Siena e Guido di Graziano', Prospettiva, LXII, 1991, pp. 15-28
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1992L. Polubiec, The Clarisse Master, MA Thesis, Courtauld Institute of Art 1992
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1992I. Bähr, 'S. Chiara: Tafelbild (Die Madonna della Palla)', in M. Seidel and P.A. Riedl (eds), Die Kirchen von Siena, Munich 1992, vol. 2.1.1, pp. 322-4
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1993D. Levi, 'Carlo Lasinio, Curator, Collector and Dealer', The Burlington Magazine, CXXXV/1079, 1993, pp. 133-48
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1996Sotheby's, Sale Catalogue, London, 3 July 1996
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1998National Gallery, 'New Acquisition', National Gallery News, 1998
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1998A. Neff, 'The Pain of "Compassio": Mary's Labor at the Foot of the Cross', Art Bulletin, 1998, pp. 254-73
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1998Christie's, Christie's Sale, London, 10 July 1998
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1999National Gallery, The National Gallery Review: April 1998 - March 1999, London 1999
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.