Madonna and Child with Angels and Cherubim
Matteo di Giovanni·c. 1460/1465
Historical Context
Matteo di Giovanni's Madonna and Child with Angels and Cherubim from around 1460-65 is an early work showing his synthesis of Sienese tradition and awareness of broader Italian developments. The Madonna type, with the Child held frontally while the Virgin gazes outward to engage the viewer, belongs to the Byzantine-derived tradition that Sienese painters had long cultivated, while the angels framing the central figures show awareness of the more naturalistic figure style developing in Florence. Matteo worked primarily in Siena and Asciano, and his madonnas were among the most sought-after devotional images in the region, valued for their combination of traditional authority and delicate refinement. The painting demonstrates how Sienese Renaissance artists negotiated between local tradition and broader Italian innovation.
Technical Analysis
Executed in tempera on poplar panel, Matteo's technique features the refined linear quality and rich chromatic harmony of the Sienese school, with delicate gold work in the background and careful modeling of the Madonna's serene features.
Provenance
Possibly George Ashburnham, 3rd earl of Ashburnham [1760-1830], Florence and Ashburnham Place, Battle, Sussex; by inheritance to his son, Bertram Ashburnham, 4th earl of Ashburnham [1797-1878], Ashburnham Place;[1] by inheritance to his son, Bertram Ashburnham, 5th earl of Ashburnham [1840-1913], Ashburnham Place; by inheritance to his daughter, Lady Mary Catherine Charlotte Ashburnham [d. 1953], Ashburnham Place; (Robert Langton Douglas, London);[2] sold June 1919 to (Duveen Brothers, Inc., London and New York);[3] purchased 15 December 1936 by The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh;[4] gift 1937 to NGA. [1] The collection was formed by the fourth Earl and by his father George, the third Earl of Ashburnham. As there is no record of their collecting activities, it is not clear which of the two acquired the individual items. After the death of the fourth Earl, however, no paintings were added to the collection. See _The Ashburnham Collections, Part I. Catalogue of Paintings and Drawings..._, Sotheby's, London, 24 June 1953: 3-4. [2] The Duveen Brothers Records list the painting as "Ashburnham Colln." and "ex L. Douglas" (copy in NGA curatorial files; X Book, Reel 422, Duveen Brothers Records, accession number 960015, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles). _Duveen Pictures in Public Collections of America_, New York, 1941: no. 96, specifies that the panel was formerly in the collections of the fifth earl of Ashburnham and his daughter. It is known that Robert Langton Douglas was in touch with the Ashburnham family in order to acquire paintings from their collection; see Denys Sutton, "Robert Langton Douglas," _Apollo_ 109 (1979): 452. See also letter from Douglas to Fowles dated 1 May 1941, Duveen Brothers Records, Box 244 (reel 299). [3] The Duveen Brothers Records indicate that the painting was paid for on 10 June 1919 (copy in NGA curatorial files; see note 2). [4] The original Duveen Brothers invoice is in Gallery Archives, copy in NGA curatorial files.
