La Vierge et l'Enfant entre saint Jean Baptiste et saint Michel

Barnaba da Modena was an Emilian painter who worked extensively in Genoa and Piedmont, bringing a distinctive synthesis of Byzantine and Italian Gothic traditions to northwestern Italy. This Virgin and Child between Saints John the Baptist and Michael, in the Musee du Petit Palais, reflects the sacra conversazione format that would become increasingly popular in Italian panel painting. Barnaba's work was highly valued in Liguria, where his richly decorated panels adorned numerous churches.

Tempera and gold on panel, displaying Barnaba's characteristic neo-Byzantine richness combined with Gothic decorative elaboration. The figures are rendered with the jewel-like precision and hieratic frontality that distinguishes his style, with extensive use of tooled gold ground, patterned haloes, and richly ornamented textiles.