Duccio, 'The Virgin and Child with Saints Dominic and Aurea', about 1312-15 (?)
About the work
Overview
Duccio was the leading artist of fourteenth-century Siena. His style is characterised by elegant, flowing lines, soft colours and tender representations of the divine. Here, the Virgin’s cloak is defined by a fluid gold hem. Mother and child share an affectionate gaze as the infant Christ plays with her white veil.
The central panel is flanked by two smaller panels – depicting Saint Dominic on the left and Saint Aurea on the right – which can fold inwards to cover and protect the main image. This was essential as it was most probably designed as a portable temporary altarpiece for private prayer while travelling.
The painting was made for Niccolò degli Albertini da Prato who became Cardinal Bishop of Ostia, near Rome, in 1303. This would explain the inclusion of Saint Aurea, the patron saint of Ostia, and Dominic, for the Cardinal was himself a member of the religious order that Dominic founded in the thirteenth century.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- The Virgin and Child with Saint Dominic and Saint Aurea, and Patriarchs and Prophets
- Artist
- Duccio
- Artist dates
- active 1278; died 1319
- Date made
- about 1312-15 (?)
- Medium and support
- egg tempera on wood
- Dimensions
- 61.4 × 39.3 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1857
- Inventory number
- NG566
- Location
- Gallery F
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Frame
- 14th-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.
Exhibition history
-
2024Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350The Metropolitan Museum of Art7 October 2024 - 26 January 2025The National Gallery (London)8 March 2025 - 22 June 2025
Bibliography
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1858R.N. Wornum, Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of the Pictures in the National Gallery, London 1858
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1911C.H. Weigelt, Duccio di Buoninsegna: Studien Zur Geschichte der Frühsienesischen Tafelmalerei, Hiersemann 1911
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1951Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, London 1951
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1973J. White, 'Carpentry and Design in Duccio's Workshop: The London and Boston Triptychs', Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, XXXVI, 1973, pp. 92-105
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1979J.H. Stubblebine, Duccio di Buoninsegna and His School, Princeton 1979
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1979J. White, Duccio. Tuscan Art and the Medieval Workshop, London 1979
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1979D. Sutton, 'Robert Langton Douglas, IV: Senus Vetus', Apollo, 1979, pp. 271-187
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1980J. Cannon, Dominican Patronage of the Arts in Central Italy: The Provincia Romana, c.1220-c.1320, Phd Thesis, Courtauld Institute of Art 1980
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1981E. Carli, La pittura senese del Trecento, Milan 1981
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1981F. Deuchler, 'Duccio et son cercle', Revue de l'art, LI, 1981, pp. 17-22
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1984F. Deuchler, Duccio, Milan 1984
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1986Davies, Martin, National Gallery Catalogues: The Earlier Italian Schools, revised edn, London 1986
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1988Gordon, Dillian, National Gallery Catalogues: The Early Italian Schools before 1400, revised edn, London 1988
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1989G. Ragionieri, Duccio: Catalogo completo dei dipinti, Florence 1989
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1989D. Bomford et al., Italian Painting before 1400 (exh. cat. The National Gallery, 29 November 1989 - 28 February 1990), London 1989
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1991J. Dunkerton et al., Giotto to Dürer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery, New Haven 1991
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1991C. Jannella, Duccio di Buoninsegna, Florence 1991
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1994L. Kanter, The Italian Paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston: 13th-15th Century, Boston 1994
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1994E. Langmuir, The National Gallery Companion Guide, London 1994
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1996V.M. Schmidt, 'Il trittico di Duccio alla National Gallery di Londra: La datazione, líconografia e il committente', Prospettiva, 81, 1996, pp. 19-30
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1997A. Weber, Duccio di Buoninsegna: About 1255-1319, Cologne 1997
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2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
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2011Gordon, Dillian, National Gallery Catalogues: The Italian Paintings before 1400, London 2011
Frame
This fourteenth-century Italian triptych, probably made from poplar wood, still includes its original engaged frame. The straight frame mouldings are of carved wood, while the arch shapes on the central panel and doors are created with raised gesso (pastiglia). Attached to the top of the central panel is a gable crafted from a single piece of wood, cut to form a rounded arch on its underside.
The two shutters fold inwards to cover and protect the central panel. A narrow wooden fillet on the right wing overlaps a rebate on the left wing to ensure a perfect closure to be flush with the pointed gable that remains uncovered. The projecting sill at the bottom was originally directly attached to the front of the panel; the present one is a replacement. The hinges are modern, although the original hinges left traces that are visible in X-radiography.
The triptych underwent restoration in the mid-nineteenth century, when the frame was regilded.
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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