Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
This tender image of the Christ Child holding onto his mother is a fragment from a much larger work. It was probably cut from the center of a multi-paneled altarpiece in which the Madonna and Child were shown enthroned surrounded by full-length standing saints. The geometric forms and careful execution are typical of Lorenzo di Bicci, founder of one of the longest-lasting artistic dynasties of Renaissance Florence. Active from at least 1370 until his death in 1412, Lorenzo’s enterprise was inherited by his son Bicci, who is represented by an altarpiece at the Walters (37.448). On Bicci’s death in 1452, the shop passed to his son, Neri, who worked until 1492 and who is represented by two altarpieces at the Walters (37.675 and 37.700). The workshop’s prolific output in a variety of objects—which included not only altarpieces but also frescoes, small-scale devotional panels, painted candles, and even shop signs—allowed them to satisfy a broad clientele in Florence and its surroundings.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
36651
label
Madonna and Child
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
36651
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Madonna and Child
description
This tender image of the Christ Child holding onto his mother is a fragment from a much larger work. It was probably cut from the center of a multi-paneled altarpiece in which the Madonna and Child were shown enthroned surrounded by full-length standing saints. The geometric forms and careful execution are typical of Lorenzo di Bicci, founder of one of the longest-lasting artistic dynasties of Renaissance Florence. Active from at least 1370 until his death in 1412, Lorenzo’s enterprise was inherited by his son Bicci, who is represented by an altarpiece at the Walters (37.448). On Bicci’s death in 1452, the shop passed to his son, Neri, who worked until 1492 and who is represented by two altarpieces at the Walters (37.675 and 37.700). The workshop’s prolific output in a variety of objects—which included not only altarpieces but also frescoes, small-scale devotional panels, painted candles, and even shop signs—allowed them to satisfy a broad clientele in Florence and its surroundings.
provenance
Carlo Zen, Milan, prior to 1913 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, prior to 1922 [mode of acquisition unknown]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
ca. 1400 (Renaissance)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Painting & Drawing
panel paintings
fragments
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
57.5
height
42.8
depth
2.8
dimensionsRaw
Painted surface H: 22 5/8 x W: 16 7/8 x D: 1 1/8 in. (57.5 x 42.8 x 2.8 cm)
Source extras
inscriptions
[Number] On reverse of panel: no. 77:019
med
tempera and gold leaf on wood panel
creator_ids
2281
collection_ids
REN
exhibition_ids
none
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
c5c1a41eda2a3678