The Virgin Enthroned with Saints and Angels

Bartolomeo Bulgarini was a leading Sienese painter of the mid-fourteenth century who carried forward the monumental tradition of Duccio and Simone Martini after the devastating Black Death of 1348. This Virgin Enthroned with Saints and Angels is a Maestà composition that asserts the continuing vitality of the Sienese school in the difficult decades following the plague. The work reflects both civic pride and deep Marian devotion — Siena had dedicated itself to the Virgin, and Maestà imagery held special significance for the city.

Painted in egg tempera on gold-ground panel, the work features the rich ultramarine blues, elaborate gold tooling, and refined punchwork that characterized high-quality Sienese altarpiece production. Bulgarini's monumental figure style and careful spatial arrangement of the heavenly court demonstrate his mastery of the grand Sienese tradition.