Madonna and Child on throne between saint Michael and saint Ursula

Allegretto Nuzi was the leading painter of Fabriano in the Marche region during the mid-fourteenth century, a predecessor of the great Gentile da Fabriano. This Madonna and Child Enthroned between Saints Michael and Ursula at the Pinacoteca Vaticana demonstrates the sophisticated artistic culture of smaller Italian cities, which sustained active workshops producing work of high quality. The pairing of the warrior archangel Michael with the virgin martyr Ursula creates a program of spiritual protection particularly suited to a votive or chapel altarpiece.

Executed in tempera on gold ground panel with elaborate tooled decoration, Allegretto Nuzi's style combines the decorative richness of the Marchigian tradition with influences absorbed from Sienese painting, particularly the elegant linearity of Pietro Lorenzetti. The Madonna's throne shows early architectural framing experiments.