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Sano di Pietro was the most prolific artist in 15th-century Siena, and his emphasis on surface decoration—note the haloes, punched into the gold background—appealed to the local market. In addition to his extensive public commissions, he produced numerous devotional works for private clients, such as this compact Virgin and Child. The infant Jesus holds a banner with diligite giv-, the beginning of the first sentence of the Book of Wisdom: “Love justice, you rulers of the earth.”
View: In frame
Virgin and Child
Sano di Pietro (Italian (Sienese), 1405–1481)
about 1447–49
Medium/Technique
Tempera on panel
Dimensions
33.1 x 21.7 cm (13 5/165 x 8 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Josiah Bradlee
Accession Number07.78
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
Sano di Pietro was the most prolific artist in 15th-century Siena, and his emphasis on surface decoration—note the haloes, punched into the gold background—appealed to the local market. In addition to his extensive public commissions, he produced numerous devotional works for private clients, such as this compact Virgin and Child. The infant Jesus holds a banner with diligite giv-, the beginning of the first sentence of the Book of Wisdom: “Love justice, you rulers of the earth.”
ProvenanceBy 1907, Alice Crowninshield (Mrs. Josiah) Bradlee (b. 1839 - d. 1926), Boston; 1907, gift of Mrs. Josiah Bradlee to the MFA. (Accession date: February 14, 1907)