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Madonna and Child with Angels

ca. 1445–50
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 603

Sassetta worked for a wealthy clientele, executing a limited number of paintings that focus on material splendor and refined detail. The glittering effect created by his technique of scratching into the painted surface to reveal the gold layer beneath—seen in passages like the angels’ wings and garments—would have been enhanced when viewed by candlelight. In this small domestic altarpiece, the Virgin is shown at once humble and exalted as she sits on the floor while angels crown her Queen of Heaven. Her delicate, idealized features are characteristic of Sassetta’s work, as is the emphasis on painting in transparent layers over the gold background.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madonna and Child with Angels
  • Artist: Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni) (Italian, Siena or Cortona ca. 1400–1450 Siena)
  • Date: ca. 1445–50
  • Medium: Tempera on wood, gold ground
  • Dimensions: Overall, with shaped top and engaged (modern) frame, 31 3/4 x 19 3/4 in. (80.6 x 50.2 cm); painted surface 25 1/8 x 13 1/2 in. (63.8 x 34.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of George Blumenthal, 1941
  • Object Number: 41.100.20
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

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The Annunciation, Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni) Italian, Tempera on wood, gold ground
The Annunciation
Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni)
ca. 1435
The Journey of the Magi, Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni) Italian, Tempera and gold on wood
The Journey of the Magi
Sassetta (Stefano di Giovanni)
ca. 1433–35
Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) and His Son Teodoro, Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi) Italian, Tempera on wood
Francesco Sassetti (1421–1490) and His Son Teodoro
Domenico Ghirlandaio (Domenico Bigordi)
ca. 1488
The Flight into Egypt, Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura) Italian, Tempera on wood
The Flight into Egypt
Cosmè Tura (Cosimo di Domenico di Bonaventura)
1470s
Three Miracles of Saint Zenobius, Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi) Italian, Tempera on wood
Three Miracles of Saint Zenobius
Botticelli (Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi)
ca. 1500

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