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Barnaba da Modena, 'Scenes of the Virgin; The Trinity; The Crucifixion', 1374

About the work

Overview

It is unusual to see these four images grouped together like this. This arrangement and the evidence of hinges at the panel’s right edge suggest that it was once part of a larger work made up two or more connected panels.

Clockwise from top left, we see the coronation of the Virgin (when Christ crowned his mother the Queen of Heaven); the Trinity (God the Father, Christ, his son, on the Cross, and the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove); and Christ’s crucifixion.

The two figures who kneel before the Virgin and Child in last scene have been identified as Juana Manuel, Queen of Castile in Spain, and her father, Juan Manuel. These were Barnaba da Modena’s patrons. By the time this picture was made he had already painted another for their chapel in the cathedral of Murcia, a Spanish town.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Coronation of the Virgin; The Trinity; The Virgin and Child with Donors; The Crucifixion; The Twelve Apostles
Artist dates
active 1361 - 1386
Date made
1374
Medium and support
egg tempera on wood
Dimensions
82 × 60.7 cm
Inscription summary
Signed; Dated and inscribed
Acquisition credit
Presented by Rosalind, Countess of Carlisle, 1913
Inventory number
NG2927
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
14th-century Genoese Frame (original frame)

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.

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